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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Gallo-Roman site of Jonvelle is an agricultural villa dating from the Gallo-Roman period, located in the commune of Jonvelle, in the department of Haute-Saône. Only the baths of this villa, discovered in 1968 by Abbé Émile Descourvières, were searched. These remains, well preserved, reveal mosaics, hypocaustes and canals typical of the Roman baths. The seaside complex, built in the second half of the second century, bears witness to an earlier occupation of the site, as evidenced by earlier objects found during the excavations.

The excavations carried out between 1968 and 1972, and then from 1985 to 1987 in collaboration with archaeologist Nathalie Bonvalot, allowed to release rooms equipped with bathtubs, a tepidarium with a mosaic decorated with fish and sandals, as well as a caldarium and its hypocauste. The remains, which were listed as historic monuments in 1992, also include a fridge and water pipes, providing a complete view of the operation of the baths. Fragments of pottery from the eighth century suggest a prolonged occupation of the site.

The villa, located in the middle of the Saône valley, is located at the so-called "the Jordans", about 900 metres south of the village. Its seaside, accessible by a route identified during the excavations, illustrates the importance of the thermal baths in Gallo-Roman villas, symbols of comfort and social status. The objects discovered, like fibules, coins and pottery, enrich the understanding of daily life at that time.

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