The Écusson and its mansions

Place de l’Horloge

You are on the place de l’Horloge, in the heart of the Écusson. The tower in front of you is 31 metres high. It was rebuilt from 1752 to 1754, on the site of an older fifteenth-century belfry: so a clock has set the rhythm of life in this district for about five centuries.

330 m to the next stop

Place du Marché

You are on the place du Marché, a small square in the Écusson lined with café terraces. In the centre, the fountain features the crocodile, the emblem of Nîmes. Its origin goes back to antiquity: after the battle of Actium, in 31 BC, coins struck to celebrate Octavian’s victory showed a crocodile chained to a palm, a symbol of Egypt conquered by Rome.

440 m to the next stop

Les Halles de Nîmes

You are at Les Halles de Nîmes, the covered market of the historic centre. It opened in 1884, under Mayor Ali Margarot, with a celebration held on 9 and 10 November. The architects John Monod and Félix Beaujouan had divided it into four pavilions.

330 m to the next stop

Hôtel Novi de Caveirac

You are now in front of the Hôtel Novi de Caveirac, at 4 bis and 6 Rue Fresque, in the Écusson. Behind a very plain facade lie seven centuries of history. The original building dates back to the fourteenth century.

190 m to the next stop

Rue de l’Aspic

You are now in Rue de l’Aspic, in the old merchant quarter of Les Garrigues. At number 27, look for a detail that many people miss: a carved eagle, set into the wall. Its head is damaged, and it comes from the ruins of a Roman building.

210 m to the next stop

Place de la Salamandre

You are now on the Place de la Salamandre, a small square in the Écusson dominated by a large facade: that of the Hôtel de Chazel, at number 6. Its story begins with an interrupted building project. Work started in 1619 under the direction of the architect Jean Chirac.

310 m to the next stop

Nîmes Cathedral

You are on the place aux Herbes, in front of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Castor, seat of the diocese of Nîmes, Uzès and Alès. In the Middle Ages, this square was the economic and religious heart of the city. The Romanesque church was consecrated in 1096 by Pope Urban the Second.

80 m to the next stop

Place aux Herbes

You are now on the Place aux Herbes, in front of the cathedral. Go up close to its facade: you will see square holes in it. They were cut so that the street traders of the Middle Ages could hang their vegetable stalls on them.

90 m to the next stop

Musée du Vieux Nîmes

You are in front of the Museum of Old Nîmes, the Musée du Vieux Nîmes, on the place aux Herbes, right next to the cathedral. The building is the former bishops’ palace. A first palace was begun in 1490 under Bishop Guillaume Briçonnet, and the building you see dates mostly from the late seventeenth century.

140 m to the next stop

Romanesque House

You are at number 1 rue de la Madeleine, a stone’s throw from the cathedral, in front of the Romanesque house. It was built in the twelfth century, which makes it one of the oldest homes in the city. Its origin remains a mystery: it may have been a residence linked to a priory, or the house of a wealthy townsman.

0 m to the next stop

Rue de la Madeleine

You are now in Rue de la Madeleine, a stone’s throw from the cathedral. At number 1 stands a house whose exact origin nobody knows. Was it the residence of a priory, or the home of a wealthy townsman?

180 m to the next stop

Hôtel de Bernis

You are on rue de Bernis, in front of the Hôtel de Bernis, one of the oldest mansions in Nîmes. It was the family home of Cardinal de Bernis, whose tomb is in the nearby cathedral. The street façade dates from the fifteenth century.

350 m to the next stop

Jesuit Chapel

You are in front of the Jesuit Chapel, at 17 Grand’Rue. It belonged to the college that the Society of Jesus ran here. The church was begun in 1673 and completed in 1678, to the plans of a member of the order, Father Mathieu de Mourgues.