Roman amphitheater of Fréjus

About

The Amphitheatre of Fréjus, or Fréjus Arenas, is a Roman amphitheatre built in the first century in the city of Forum Julii, today Fréjus. Its dimensions were 113 metres long and 85 metres wide; It could accommodate 10,000 to 12,000 spectators. The Fréjus arenas have been listed as historic monuments since 1840. Nevertheless, the building was thoroughly redesigned between 2007 and 2012, completely covered with a modern concrete structure.

Location: The amphitheater, built outside the rampart, west of the city, leans on its northern half against a sandstone hill. To the south, it rises in flat terrain. The façade has disappeared, but there are still important radiant walls that secured the monument and supported the cellara (the steps) by a system of crawling vaults. The passage of the access stairs to the first and second floors was arranged between the radiant walls of the vaults.

Most of the building is built in small green sandstone apparatus (opus vittatum), except the steps and large blocks serving as the base for the facade, which are in brown sandstone. The green sandstone comes from a local career that...