 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in French. (August 2012)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Cularo was the name of theGallic city which evolved into modernGrenoble. It was renamed Gratianopolis in 381 to honor Roman emperorGratian.
The earliest remaining reference to what is now Grenoble dates back to a July 43 BC letter written by Munatius Plancus toCicero.[1] The small town founded by theAllobroges Gallic people was at that time called Cularo. In 292, the western emperorMaximian elevated the town to the rank ofCivitas, "city", and ordered the construction of defensive walls which both protected the urban area and marked its higher status. Theirvestiges are now a landmark of this era.
Wishing to thank and honor the emperorGratian for creating itsbishopric, the inhabitants of Cularo renamed their town Gratianopolis in 381. That name would subsequently evolve into Grenoble through Graignovol.
The Saint-Laurent crypt and the baptistery of Grenoble date also back from the Gallo-Roman period (4th century), and have been preserved to this day; the latter remained in use until the 9th century but had later been buried under accumulated urban layers; it was rediscovered in 1989 during the construction oftramway tracks, excavated until 1996, and incorporated into the adjacentMusée de l'Ancien Évêché. Several small sections of the Gallo-Roman city wall are also visible in the old town, especially in rue Lafayette.
45°11′32″N5°43′50″E / 45.19222°N 5.73056°E /45.19222; 5.73056
Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
