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Origin and history

The remains of the Gallo-Roman fanum of Marcé-sur-Esves, also called the stone of Faon or the pile of Marcé-sur-Esves, are located 1.7 km north of the village, near the communal boundary with Draché and Sepmes. This monument, now reduced to a block of masonry in incertum opus (silex linked to the mortar) of 3 to 4 meters side and 2.50 meters high, was probably originally a funerary pile or a religious building. His name of fanum (Gallo-Roman temple) remains debated, although several historians supported it after the Second World War, while Louis-Auguste Bosseboeuf refuted it from the beginning of the 20th century.

Close to the ancient Roman Way Vendôme-Poitiers (now taken over by the D336), the monument underwent wild archaeological excavations, causing its undressing and a partial shift towards the south. At the beginning of the 20th century, a second block representing the upper part of the structure was still visible, but it has since disappeared, probably fragmented. No trace of the original trim, supposed in large apparatus, is now observable.

Ranked a historic monument by decree of 8 March 1938, the site retains a full atypical structure for a fanum, which reinforces the hypothesis of a funerary pile. Architectural analogies with similar monuments in southwestern France suggest a construction between the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The place called the Stone, where it stands, bears witness to its local importance, although its exact use and its sponsor remain unknown.

The degradations suffered over the centuries, combined with the absence of thorough scientific excavations, limit the understanding of this vestige. Its present state, partially collapsed and devoid of its superior elements, reflects both the hazards of its conservation and the historical interest it has aroused for more than a century. The debates on its nature (fanum or funerary pile) illustrate the challenges posed by the interpretation of Gallo-Roman ruins in the absence of written sources.

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