Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The sources of the Dome and Lys are two hot springs discovered at the end of the 19th century during the "War of Sources", a period of intensive drilling aimed at feeding the Vichy spa. Their waters, springing at 65.4°C, are the second warmest in Auvergne after those of Chaudes-Aigues. Their thermal muds, rich in electrically charged clay, are used to treat rheumatism and digestive disorders. These sources were captured near the Macaux fault, a natural rock fracture.

In 1898 Francisque David, a velvet merchant from Saint-Étienne, began drilling the source of the Dome at Abrest, in the hamlet of the Tower, on the left bank of the Allier. It was drilled at a depth of 159 metres, first for thermal baths, then for bottling its waters, and finally for the production of sludge for the Vichy thermal baths. In 1900, two other sources, Lys and Cornélie, were discovered by F. David. These three sources were integrated into the State domain in 1927.

Developments at Dome and Lys sources include stone basins covered with calcium carbonate deposits, tinted with iron oxide and microalgae. The source of the dome is sheltered by an octagonal metal and wood kiosk, while that of the Lys, simpler, is not covered. These sources, located at the Chemin des Étangs in Abrest, were listed in the Historic Monuments on July 26, 2022.

The "War of the Sources" of the 1870s-1890s was a period of intense competition between private initiators to exploit the thermal resources around Vichy. Although many, not all of the sources discovered were sustainable. The sources of the Dome and Lys, on the other hand, became key elements of the local thermal heritage, still linked to the activity of the thermal baths of Vichy today.

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