La Porte de France

Historic sites and monuments

Nîmes

The Emperor Augustus gave Nîmes one of the largest city walls in Roman Gaul. The Porte Auguste and the Porte de France are the only gates still visible.

Dating from 16-15 BC, Nîmes' city walls covered an area of 220 hectares within a 7 km perimeter. It was 9 m high and 2 m wide, with a dozen gates and some 80 towers, including the Tour Magne.

The Porte de France, also known as the Porte d'Espagne, features a single semicircular archway surmounted by a blind gallery decorated with Tuscan pilasters. In ancient times, it was flanked by two circular towers.