Middle Ages and Renaissance

During the Middle Ages, the theatre underwent a great deal of upheaval. It was pillaged for stone, marble and mosaics, reused for public or private constructions. It also became a defence post and a sentry box was built within the complex.

In the 8th century, William of Gellone, Count of Toulouse and a relative of Charlemagne, was granted the county of Orange after snatching the town from the Saracens. His coat of arms decorated with a black horn is the origin of the town’s emblem, which depicts a horn above three oranges.

In the 12th century, the successors of William of Gellone turned Orange into a principality. The theatre once again hosted shows organised by the church and companies of players came to perform on the stage. In 1530, René de Chalon, Prince of Nassau, inherited the principality from his uncle. The descendants of the Nassau family remained princes of Orange until 1702.

In the 16th century, Orange, governed by Protestant princes, was involved in the French Wars of Religion. In 1562 the town was sacked and its inhabitants fled to escape the carnage. Some time later, the princes of Orange succeeded in restoring peace to the town. This peace which lasted more than 100 years allowed the town to develop and the population quickly found the town cramped. So the inhabitants began to build a few houses within the theatre complex. Built against the stage wall and on the terraces, they formed a veritable district around a road that ran through the middle. In the 18th century, prisons were built in the theatre walls and in the basilicae (towers either side of the stage). They were mainly used to pack in prisoners during the French revolution.