Arnes de Lutece, Paris
Arnes de Lutece
Address: Rue de Navarre, Rue des Arenes
Arrondissement: 5th
Hours: Winter 8:00am – 5:30pm; Summer 8:00am – 10:00pm
Tickets: Free
WWW: Arena de Lutece
Long ago, around the time of first century A.D. Paris was known as Lutetia. It stretched from the Ile de la Cite all the way down to the Left Bank. Prosperous Lutetia was a Galllo-Roman town during this period and the Arenes de Lutece is one of the few places in modern day Paris that this olden heritage can be found.
It is said that the Arenes de Lutece might have been one of the biggest arena of its kind built by the Romans. The sunken auditorium was enclosed by 8 foot walls with an astounding 38 meter stage. The nine niches around the arena are attributed to the amphitheatres excellent acoustics. There were also five indentations beneath the seating area, some of which open directly in the arena. It is believed that these cubbies housed caged animals for many events including circuses, gladiator showdowns and animal fighting. The bleachers sat nearly 15,000 with more comfortable seating for royalty and officials in the lower level and stone benches for women, children, slaves and poorer statuses. Here the city’s people could enjoy many events including circuses, sporting events and theater productions.
The magnificent arena was destroyed in the 3rd century and was transformed into a cemetery. Some of its stone and other materials were strewn about the city for building purposes. It was completely filled in during the 3rd century and rediscovered 16 centuries later during the building of a tram station. Today it is a monument and treasured park to the city of Paris.
Getting to Arenes de Lutece
You can find the Arenes de Lutece by riding metro lines 7 or 10 until you get to the Jussieu station.
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Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.org
