The archaeological site of Saint-Romain-en-Gal: one of the largest complexes devoted to Gallo-Roman civilization in France with the remains of the rich residential district of Vienna, then "Roman colony", on seven hectares.
Located on the banks of the Rhône, a major axis for the transit of goods between the Mediterranean and the northern provinces, this district, like the city of Vienna, experienced strong development in the 1950s.
The wealth of the inhabitants is expressed by the luxury of houses which adjoin with thermal baths, shops, craftsmen's shops, workshops: one of the most extensive Roman residential districts discovered in France!
To meet the requirements of a site museum, to ensure the presentation, study and conservation of collections, Philippe Chaix and Jean-Paul Morel, laureates of the architectural competition, have designed two very different buildings in their design.
The complex, completed in 1996, covers an area of ​​more than 12,000 m2.
Along the river, the permanent exhibition building erected above a Roman house is built on stilts.
Perpendicular to the Rhône, the reception building with concrete structures appears strongly anchored to the ground. It houses the museum's various functions: ticket office, temporary exhibition, shop and restaurant, as well as a research center and a mosaic restoration workshop.
Built on stilts, the permanent exhibition building is a real aerial structure that faithfully follows the plan of an island in the Roman city explored before its construction. Transparent on all its facades, the permanent exhibition building offers an overview of the Gallo-Roman district of Saint-Romain-en-Gal, the Rhône and the city of Vienne on the left bank.
A strong element of the landscape, the museum located in the extension of the bridge over the Rhône symbolically ensures continuity between the two banks, an obvious reference to the urban unity of the Roman era.