Tours Amphitheatre

The Tours Amphitheatre is a Roman amphitheater that can be found directly behind the famous Tours Cathedral in the heart of Tours' old city center. When Caesarodunum was the name of the city, it was constructed in the first century.

It was among the top ten largest buildings in the Roman Empire when it was expanded in the second century. Given the population and the city's sluggish growth at the time, it is unclear why the amphitheatre was enlarged. A century or so later, this larger amphitheater underwent a fortification process that included the construction of a rampart-style wall, which was common throughout the fall of the Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, it progressively fell into disrepair and was covered up by canonical houses as they were constructed. At some point, the vomitoria were converted into cellars.

Today, from the northwest to the southeast, Rue du Général-Meusnier follows the amphitheatre's curvature. At the north-west and north-east corners of the monument's circumference, the rue Racine and the rue de la Bazoche form a tangential straight line. You can freely explore the ruins.

Location: Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France