Arènes de Lutèce

The Arènes de Lutèce are the remains of a Roman amphitheatre in Paris's 5th arrondissement, entered from 49 Rue Monge and also from Rue de Navarre and Rue des Arènes, on the slope of Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in the Latin Quarter. Built in the 1st century when the city was the Roman town of Lutetia, the arena could seat around 15,000 to 17,000 spectators and was used for gladiator fights and theatrical performances. It was largely buried over the centuries and was rediscovered in the 1860s during construction work on Rue Monge. Saved from demolition in part through a campaign supported by Victor Hugo, it was restored in the early 20th century and opened as a public park. Visitors enter an oval arena with stone tiers on one side, a stage area and niches in the surrounding wall. The arena floor is now a gravel space where locals play pétanque and football, children play, and people read or sit on the tiers. A visit lasts 20 to 45 minutes. The site is one of the quietest historic sites in central Paris, with few tourists, and is calmest in the morning and on weekday afternoons. Early evening brings local residents after work. The site is free to enter during daylight hours, with seasonal closing times. Photographers find the stone tiers and the arena framed by the surrounding buildings an atmospheric subject, particularly in low light. The nearby Jardin des Plantes, the Grande Mosquée and the Musée de Cluny make a natural walking route. Archaeologists believe the arena also served as a theatre, as it has a stage and a semicircular seating area. The nearby Rue Monge follows the line of a Roman road, and fragments of other Roman Paris, including the Thermes de Cluny, can be seen a short walk to the north-west. The site is surrounded by quiet streets and small cafés, which makes it a calm place to stop between visits to larger Left Bank attractions.