Thermes du Palais du Miroir, Roman baths in Saint-Romain-en-Gal (Rhône)

The Thermes du Palais du Miroir are remains of Roman baths on the right bank of the Rhône River in Saint-Romain-en-Gal, part of a large complex with rooms for hot and cold water, areas for exercise and relaxation. The structures are made of stone and brick, with visible foundations of old walls and floors, and some sections still preserve mosaic patterns.

The building is a remnant of the Roman baths of Vienna Allobrogum, the ancient city on the right bank of the Rhône, and belonged to a large thermal complex that also included the Thermes des Lutteurs. It was identified by Prosper Mérimée and placed on the first list of monuments historiques in 1840. Around 1827–1828 the site yielded the statue of the Venus of Vienne, a crouching nude now kept at the Gallo-Roman Museum of Saint-Romain-en-Gal.

The name Palais du Miroir does not come from mirrors found on the site; it refers to the large arched opening in the surviving wall, which resembles a mirror frame. The building belonged to the baths of Vienna Allobrogum, near the ancient road and the Thermes des Lutteurs.

The ruin stands in the southern part of the Saint-Romain-en-Gal archaeological site, near the eastern edge of the ancient road, with the Lutteurs baths in the same thermal complex. The surviving wall shows a high right section with a large arched opening and three ground-level recesses, the middle one a dark passage, above a low dark stone platform. Visit it together with the rest of the site and its museum.

A renowned statue of Venus was discovered around 1827 or 1828 at the site, depicting the goddess at the moment of entering or leaving a bath. This discovery played a key role in sparking interest in Roman history and daily life in this region.