The Crypte Archéologique rests beneath the pavement of the Parvis de Notre-Dame, marked by a simple glass entrance. It holds the stone remnants of Lutetia, the Roman predecessor to modern Paris. During excavations in the nineteen sixties,…
Roman Ruins of Lutetia
This walk traces the 2,000-year-old foundations of Roman Paris, taking you to a hidden amphitheater, monumental thermal baths, and ancient street grids.
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1. Crypte Archéologique de l'İle de la Cité
2. Thermes de Cluny
The Thermes de Cluny feature thick walls of alternating stone and brick, typical of Roman masonry from the first or second century. These ruins are the remains of a public bath complex that once covered the ancient city of Lutetia. Emperor…
3. Collège de France
The Collège de France is recognizable by the austere, neoclassical facade facing the Rue des Écoles, punctuated by high windows and a carved stone frieze. Founded in fifteen thirty by King Francis the First, the institution exists to teach…
4. Vestiges du Forum romain de Lutèce
The Arènes de Lutèce features a distinctive curved stone wall and rising tiers of grass seats that tuck into a hillside. This theater, built in the first century, seated ten thousand spectators for gladiatorial combat and theatrical…
5. Cardo Maximus
The Cardo Maximus of Lutetia runs directly beneath the current Rue Saint-Jacques. It exists as a straight line cut through the city, designed by Roman engineers to serve as the main north-south axis of their settlement. In the second…
6. Arènes de Lutèce
The Arènes de Lutèce features curved stone tiers rising from a sunken oval floor that once held fifteen thousand spectators. Built in the first century, this amphitheater hosted gladiator combats and theater performances for the residents…