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The Arch of Germanicus, built around 18-19 AD in Saintes, is a two-bay road arch erected in honor of the Emperor Tiberius, his son Drusus, and his nephew Germanicus, financed by a local notable, Gaius Julius Rufus. It marked the main entrance to the Roman city of Mediolanum Santonum, at the bridge over the Charente, organizing traffic in both directions. This sober monument, nearly 15 meters high, is adorned with fluted pilasters and composite capitals, among the oldest in the West. Saved from demolition in 1843 thanks to Prosper Mérimée, it was moved and restored, becoming a major symbol of Romanization and one of the best-preserved Gallo-Roman remains in Saintes. Listed as a historic monument since 1905, it testifies to the importance of the city during the Roman era.

View of the Arch of Germanicus and the Saintes pedestrian bridge

The Archaeological Museum of Saintes has been redesigned and its permanent exhibition renewed. Visitors are invited to discover the ancient city of Saintes through its urban planning and the lives of its inhabitants 2000 years ago.

Located in the heart of the city, the public garden is a place of life for the residents of Saintais, to be discovered by walkers. The kiosk, the orangery, the animals or the games. The park was designed in 1925 on the banks of the Charente and forms the connection between the city and the Palu.

The arch was first built on the Roman bridge over the Charente. It is not a triumphal arch, but rather a homage to Tiberius, Germanicus and Drusus.

Like many amphitheaters in the Roman Empire, that of Saintes was built on the outskirts of the city in a place now called "Vallon des Arènes" (Little Valley of the Amphitheater). The LTS builders took advantage of the local topography to build part of the amphitheater. Today, despite the disappearance of its superstructure, the remains give a very good idea of what this amphitheater looked like in its heyday. The site is now open to visitors all year round.

The Santons people occupied Saintonge during the Gallic era. The Romans conquered the region and settled on the banks of the Charente. The town of Saintes (then designated Mediolanum), located at the western end of the Via Agrippa which linked Lyon (capital of the Three Gauls) to the Atlantic coast, quickly became monumental. At the time of Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD), the city probably became the capital of the province of Greater Aquitaine (Aquitania). This then extended from the Loire to the Pyrenees. Mediolanum is endowed with important public monuments: the amphitheater, the arch of Germanicus, the thermal baths and the aqueduct are still partially visible today. At the time of its peak (end of the 1st century – beginning of the 2nd century), the city must have had several thousand inhabitants. The amphitheater of Mediolanum is one of the earliest in Gaul. It is estimated that its construction began during the reign of Tiberius (14 – 37 AD), and was completed during the reign of Claudius (41 – 54 AD). Like many amphitheaters of the Roman Empire, that of Saintes was located on the outskirts of the ancient city in a chosen and developed site: the “vallon des Arènes”. Thanks to a favorable topography, the builders were relieved of part of their work, the amphitheater resting on the slope of the valley. This elliptical monument, with imposing dimensions (126 meters long and 102 meters wide), made it possible to accommodate several thousand spectators around bloody and violent representations such as gladiator fights (munera) or animal hunts (venationes ). In the 3rd century, the city declined and was entrenched within an impressive rampart, built from the remains of public and funerary monuments from previous decades. The amphitheater is then no longer used. Since the Middle Ages, it has been used, among other things, as a stone quarry. It was classified as a Historic Monument in 1840. It was from this moment that it was gradually restored. Today, despite the disappearance of the superstructures, the remains provide a faithful image of what this monument could have been at the time of its splendor. The site welcomes visitors all year round. Certain objects found during various excavations in the amphitheater district are visible at the archaeological museum.

Saintes is a city that shines with its millennial heritage and its Gallo-Roman monuments. As unusual as they are well preserved, these nuggets will take you on a real journey through time.