Amphithéatre de Chartres

About

The Chartres amphitheatre is a Roman amphitheatre built in the city of Autricum, today Chartres in the French department of Eure-et-Loir. This monument is not well known. The dating assumptions range from the first century to the second century or later. Its location was reused in the Middle Ages for the construction of several churches, including the collegiate Saint-André de Chartres. The rue du cloître Saint-André and the houses that border it partially follow the curvature of its ring walls.

Location: In the ancient topography, the amphitheatre occupies the eastern flank of the spur which develops at the confluence of the Eure and one of its tributaries on the left bank. Without being totally rejected out of town, it does not occupy a central position. In the modern city, its location is partially occupied by the collegiate Saint-André de Chartres.

History: The site of the amphitheatre has a pre-Roman occupation. The dating of the monument is discussed: the amphitheatre seems to be built in the second half of the first century and appears contemporary of a monumental complex that borders it to the south, and whose masonries are dated more definitely...