Le Castellum Aquae, Nimes

The arrival point of the Roman aqueduct in Nimes

featured in Sights & Sites

This unusual Roman site was once the place where the city of Nimes supply of water arrived from the aqueducts before being distributed around the city.

Lead pipes would have taken the water to the various fountains and baths of the city for its inhabitants to enjoy, through the round apertures that you can see in the structure.

It is thought to have been constructed in the middle of the first century AD, at the same time as the Pont du Gard. Water would have travelled around 50 kilometres to get here, over the Pont du Gard and into the city. A sluice gate at the back would have controlled the flow of water.

During the construction of the citadel in 1688 the Castellum was filled in with rubble, and only rediscovered in 1844 when it was excavated and made visible to the public once more.

Today it's a rather small an unassuming relic of the Roman period, compared to some of the larger more well known Roman ruins in Nimes, but interesting to see nonetheless.