square Castan
The square Castan is a set of archeological remains from the antique Gallo-Roman city of Vesontio, present french city of Besançon.
Description
Vast unidentified semi-circular set, probably from the 2nd century or 3rd century. It's located next to the triumphal arch called Porte Noire.
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste church rose on the site of that square until the French Revolution. It was destroyed between 1794 and 1797.
Archeologist and librarian Auguste Castan launched excavations in 1870. He discovered 8 corinthian columns, remains of the water's distribution pound which collected the water brought by the Roman aqueduct of Arcier and the remains of a hemicycle with an inner diameter of 54 meters.
What was it?
Auguste Castan identified it with the antique theater of Vesontio. Actually, we think that the hemicycle constituted a podium which supported the colonnade of an overcast portico: it delimited a raised esplanade which exact function is not known at present time.
An english garden
An English archeological garden is created in 1870 to brighten up the remains' set. It was opened to the public in 1874 and took the name of Auguste Castan in 1898.
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