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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Gallo-Roman fountain of Beurey-Bauguay, classified as a Historical Monument in 1924, is distinguished by its square edicle, which houses a basin girded with walls on three sides. Its structure rests on four octagonal pillars – probably higher at the beginning – supporting a monolithic cupola in pendants, decorated with segmental arches crowned with ground archvolts. A stormwater drainage system, integrated into each angle, testifies to an elaborate hydraulic design. The left anterior angle, now consolidated by iron and cement staples, reveals traces of later restorations.

Only the carved dome actually dates from the third Gallo-Roman century, while the pillars, walls and basin were rebuilt in the 19th century from elements of reuse. This fountain, located near the Saint Martin Chapel, would be a vestige of an ancient pagan sanctuary dedicated to a source, reinvested later by Christian practices. A local oral tradition attributes to its water healing virtues, especially for sick children, whose clothes were soaked there in search of healing.

The building illustrates the transition between pagan worship and Christianization, typical of Burgundy countryside. Its ranking in 1924 underscores its archaeological value, although its exact location (noted as "passable" in the databases) and its current state remain partially documented. The fountain, a communal property, thus retains a double memory: that of Gallo-Roman know-how in hydraulic architecture, and that of popular uses linked to sacred sources, perpetuated until the modern era.

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