Our selection of visits for the Heritage Days in Nîmes

Découverte de la frise de la cathédrale en restauration. Midi Libre – Mikaël Anisset

Exceptional openings, guided tours, shows or workshops for children… Some ideas to enjoy the Heritage Days, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September in Nîmes.

The heritage fair

The heritage department is setting up on Place du Chapitre and is providing a lively introduction to archaeology, architecture and heritage preservation with family workshops. Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., “Couleurs en chemin”, with Patricia Lopez, heritage decor painter, for all ages from 8 years old; “Façades fantaisies” in collaboration with the FabLab of the Jean-d'Ormesson media library, for all ages from 5 years old; “The secret of the cathedral” to understand the ribbed vault system, for all ages from 7 years old ; “The light box", creation of a camera obscura in connection with the exhibition of Pierre Soulages and Jeanne Vicerial at Vieux Nîmes, for all ages from 7 years old and “Archaeology of the building", to discover the evolution of lifestyles with the architects of Inrap, for all ages from 7 years old.

Roman monuments

It is now a must-see, having been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since last year. The Maison Carrée can be visited on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 6:30pm, with guided tours starting every quarter of an hour.

Usually, the Heritage Days take place on the same weekend as the Vendanges Feria and the arenas are excluded. This year, the amphitheatre is open to visitors, with several guided tours in particular. "Panem et circenses, the gladiators" and "All roads lead to Nemausus", Saturday and Sunday, at 11am and 3pm.

The curious can also discover the backstage of the arenas, by visiting the toril and the chapel of the bullfighters, Saturday and Sunday, from 9:30am to 1pm and from 2:30pm to 6pm (registration required, 04 66 76 70 61).

Shows and heritage

In connection with the current exhibition, the Singulier Pluriel company presents Murmures d'outrenoir, a poetic interlude, inspired by dance and sign language in homage to Pierre Soulages, Sunday at 3pm and 4pm at the Musée du Vieux Nîmes.

With Il était une Troie, a show that looks like a mythological detective story, the Compagnie Les 3 pommes returns to the origins of the Trojan War by mixing storytelling and music. Sunday at 3pm, at the Musée de la Romanité, ages 7 and up.

Traditionally, Nîmes, a city of organs, highlights its heritage. Among the events this weekend, a hearing of Maxime Heintz, Saturday at 12 pm at the Cathedral or a concert by the polyphonic ensemble of Nîmes with Michel Chanard on the organ Sunday at 4 pm at the Sainte-Perpétue church.

The construction site of the cathedral

Built in the Middle Ages, largely remodeled by Henry Revoil in the 19th century, the Notre-Dame and Saint-Castor cathedral is a precious testimony to religious art. Currently under construction, it reveals its bas-reliefs in an exceptional way. Indeed, it is possible to climb on the scaffolding to discover the sculpted frieze from the 12th and 17th centuries, in the company of stonemasons, restorers and archaeologists from Inrap. Guided tour, Saturday and Sunday, by registration only 04 66 67 70 01. Sports clothing recommended, from 15 years old.

In addition, the Martyrs' Chapel (11th century) and the Bishops' Chapel (17th century) open their doors on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

In the city's museums

All the museums offer numerous workshops to share with children in connection with the collections and current exhibitions.

Heritage Days are also an opportunity to meet artists. Thus, the Carré d’art museum welcomes Alassan Diawara for a guided tour of his exhibition "Partitions sedimentaires", Saturday, at 3 p.m., on the top floor.

The Carré d’art library invites engravers Florence Barbéris and Sylvie Deparis for a meeting around their exhibition "Méandres, entre roche et eau", Saturday at 3 p.m., in the hall gallery.

The Museum of Bullfighting Cultures is offering a conference by Enora Theillère, on the work of conservation and restoration of costumes of light and other works of the museum, Saturday at 11 a.m.

Also to discover, a place that intrigues and makes you dream, one of the reserves of the Museum of Fine Arts, Saturday and Sunday, at 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Bellegarde in the time of Lascaux presented to the general public

Saturday, September 21, at 11 a.m., the public will discover at the museum Auguste-Jacquet, in the gardens of La Vignasse, in Beaucaire, the exhibition of Inrap, with the CCBTA community of communes, entitled “Bellegarde in the time of Lascaux”.

The aim is to show the exceptional discoveries of 2016 on the Piechegut site in Bellegarde, during preventive excavations carried out as part of a project to extend a waste disposal site. Inrap, which is thus participating in the Heritage Days, mentions the works of art dating from the beginning of the Magdalenian (- 20,000 years) “which are the oldest known for this cultural group at the same level as the cave paintings and engravings of the Lascaux cave.”

At the time of the discovery, Inrap had described profiles of horses made on sandstone limestone plaques, but also an exceptional female representation. Bellegarde has become a reference on a national scale. In addition to the exhibition, which is on display until May 18, Saturday, September 21, from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, September 22, from 10 a.m. to noon, workshops on making shell ornaments will be offered by Inrap. A free activity.

Y.B.

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