Parts of the old wall that surrounded the Roman Forum, the center of Roman public and private affairs, still exist in the old part of town, as does a Dominican church built in the 16th century. A Roman triumphal arc also still remains, on the other side of the town, which we did not see.
But Orange is really known for its Roman theater, one of the most impressive that still exists in Europe and famous for its magnificent stage wall. “The finest wall in my kingdom,” said King Louis XIV when he first saw the wall, whose original height of 37 meters has been preserved. It is truly impressive.
The Romans built the theater against the Saint Eutrope hill, which they hollowed out to build the terraces against it. The terraces no longer exist, so new seating has been built to accommodate audiences.
The theater played a major role in the life of the citizens, but with the decline of the Roman Empire came the decline of the theater, until it was abandoned completely. It was pillaged for its stone, marble, and mosaics, used as a defensive post in the Middle Ages, and later became a refuge for the locals, who built houses within the theater complex.
The theater was restored in 1869 (with a new roof added in 2006 to protect the stage wall) and has been the home of the summer opera festival, which since 1902 goes by the name of the Chorégies d'Orange and is now a famous international opera festival. Operas such as Tosca, Aida, Faust and Carmen have been
staged there, as shown in the pictures below.
We had a good time visiting the theater and an even
better time lunching at the Grotte d’Auguste, a wonderful restaurant that was built in the rock on which
the theater sits. The décor is inspired by some of the operas from the Chorégies festival. It also has a sunny terrace where we enjoyed a great view of the ancient theater and sipped local wines while our lunch was being prepared.
