Which Roman temple at Nimes later served as a model for Thomas Jefferson's Virginia state capital?

• A. Maison Carree
• B. Pantheon
• C. Temple of Saturn
• D. Temple of Vesta

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing a specific architectural influence behind a famous American civic building. The Maison Carrée in Nîmes is a quintessential, well-preserved Roman temple with a simple, clear temple-front: a rectangular cella set behind a porch supported by a row of evenly spaced columns and a pediment. This clean, proportion-driven design became a go-to model for neoclassical architects who wanted to express republican ideals through form.

Thomas Jefferson adopted that exact language of architecture for the Virginia State Capitol, infusing it with a temple-front façade that echoes the Maison Carrée’s proportions and orderly elegance. Using that direct Roman model helped convey clarity, restraint, and virtue—traits he wanted the state to embody.

The Pantheon, while influential in other contexts, represents a different Roman tradition with a large central dome, and the other temples listed aren’t the Nîmes structure that served as Jefferson’s specific template, so they don’t fit as the direct progenitor of his design.