A Temple in Uzes
I don't normally expect to see a Greek temple at the edge of a field in France. But near the town of Uzes, just off a roundabout adjacent to undulating meadows and vineyards, sits a mini Parthenon. The first time it caught my eye while driving into town on the road from Avignon, I almost missed my turn. As an archaeologist, my job is digging up old things. While I knew this structure was not ancient, still, I was intrigued: Who built it? When? And why? So I did a little more digging: but this time not into the soil. Turns out that this little temple, along with an archway and triple-columned monument, dates to 1816 and marks the entrance to a graveyard. The surrounding land, originally a fortress in the 13th century, was acquired by Baron Gabriel Joseph de Froment in the late 18th century. Having traveled throughout Italy, the Baron developed a love of antiquity, and transformed the estate into a Neoclassical wonderland, adding so many towers, balustrades and colonnades that the p...
