The ancient Roman Theatre of the city of Arles had been forgotten for centuries before being rediscovered in the second half of the 19thcentury. Following numerous archaeological excavations that uncovered, among other finds, the famous Venus of Arles, the theatre was restored. However, due to the size of the site and considerable loss of original material on the upper section, in the end, only the cavea (lower section of the benches), stage and Roland tower were restorable.
The first stage of works was completed in 2007. The bench blocks were so extremely deteriorated that the patrimonial architect in charge chose Verger stone from Burgundy to replace the missing pieces. Verger proved to be closest to the original for grain and colour. Furthermore it possesses technical qualities that suit outdoor usage.