Legendary search of the Dissard canon 1902 (≈ 1902)
Presumed discovery of a gold sickle.
1961
Death of the last "Pope of the Druids"
Death of the last "Pope of the Druids" 1961 (≈ 1961)
End of unverified family tradition.
1995
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 1995 (≈ 1995)
Official protection by ministerial decree.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Castral motte (VA 164, 166-168): entry by order of 5 May 1995
Key figures
Chanoine Dissard - Suspected descendant of the Druid Dissard
Author of excavations in 1902 and legend.
Dissard (druide légendaire) - Druid chef according to oral tradition
Killed by the Romans, supposed tomb.
Origin and history
The castral motte of Fayet, also known as Suc Dissard, is a medieval defensive work located in the commune of Fayet-Ronaye in Puy-de-Dôme. With a diameter of about 40 meters and a height of 5 meters, it is girdled by a ditch of more than 5 meters wide. Despite its inscription in the historical monuments in 1995, no archaeological excavations have made it possible to establish the period of construction with certainty, leaving its exact origin unknown.
According to a local legend reported at the beginning of the 20th century by the canon Dissard, the site is the tomb of a Druid chief named Dissard, killed by the Romans near the Doulon in Auvergne. The canon, claiming to descend from this druid, claimed to have participated in excavations in 1902 where a golden sickle was discovered. However, modern archaeologists reject this hypothesis, considering the site as a classic feudal motte, unrelated to druids. The family tradition also evokes a last "Pope of Druids" who died in 1961, but this sonage remains unverified scientifically.
The motte is today a private property, partly managed by an association. Its state of conservation and access to the public are not specified in available sources. Ranked among the historical monuments of Puy-de-Dôme, it illustrates the medieval defensive architecture of the region, although its exact history and original use remain obscure in the absence of in-depth research.
