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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Cassinomagus is a Gallo-Roman agglomeration established between the first and fourth centuries in the present territory of Chassenon, Charente (New Aquitaine). This archaeological site is known for its first century thermal baths, among the best preserved in Gaul, and for the abundant use of impactite, a rock from the fall of a meteorite about 203 million years ago. The Rochechouart-Chassenon astroblem, unique in France, provided building materials for monuments and local dwellings.

The spas of Cassinomagus, known as "de Longeas", extend over 12,500 m2 and have a double symmetrical architecture, with therapeutic and hygienic circuits. Their construction, which began around 90 AD, lasted 90 years. The site also includes an octagonal temple, an amphitheater, and an aqueduct feeding monuments. These vestiges bear witness to a prosperous secondary agglomeration, linked to the large Roman roads and neighbouring civitates (Pictons, Santons, Petrocores).

The occupation of the site dates back to Prehistory, with traces of the age of cut stone and Tena (IInd-I century BC). Two Latenian ditches, discovered in 2008, reveal ceramics and iron tools, suggesting a pre-Roman sanctuary. After its decline in the third century, monuments were reused as stone quarries, and a post-Roman occupation lasted until the sixth century. The excavations, initiated in the 19th century by Abbé Michon, identified the thermal baths in 1961.

The current archaeological park, open to the public, covers 23 hectares and offers visits to the thermal baths, the aqueduct, and the temple of Montelu. Ranked a Historic Monument since 1959, the site attracts 20,000 to 25,000 annual visitors. Recent research, such as the TherMoNat project (2011-2018), investigates the relationship between thermal baths and their environment, including water management. Archaeological collections, once scattered, are now preserved on site.

Local geology, marked by the impact of meteorite, influenced construction techniques. The thermal baths, built in impactite and standardized bricks, reveal advanced architectural know-how, with walls still standing seven meters high. Extraction quarries, such as Holes and Vignes, provided materials for monuments. The aqueduct, one kilometre long, illustrates Roman engineering for water supply.

Today Cassinomagus combines preservation and tourist development. Animations, such as the Days of the Baths or the Archaeological Nights, and educational workshops attract schools and the general public. The park also offers a botanical garden of Gallo-Roman plants and fun tours, such as the game The Lost Treasure of Cassinomagus. Managed by the Charente Department, the site continues to be the subject of multidisciplinary research and excavations.

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