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Hidden in plain sight on the Place du Forum, the Cryptoportique is Reims at its most ancient. It is a long, vaulted gallery, partly sunk below ground, that once formed one wing of the monumental forum of Durocortorum, the Roman name for Reims. Under the Empire this was one of the largest and most important cities of Gaul, capital of the province of Gallia Belgica and a hub of the imperial road network. The gallery you see, raised around the third century, ran beneath the raised portico that framed the public square, serving as a cool, shadowy undercroft, perhaps for storage. Standing here, with the modern square above and the arches disappearing into the earth, you bridge nearly two thousand years of the city's history in a single glance.
Wissenswertes
- 27 BC — Around 27 BC, under the Emperor Augustus, Reims as Durocortorum became capital of the Roman province of Gallia Belgica.
- 3 century AD — The cryptoportique, a half-sunken vaulted gallery, was built around the third century AD beneath the forum's portico.
- 3 wings — It formed part of a U-shaped structure that ran beneath three sides of the great forum square.
📍 Place du Forum, 51100, Reims