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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Roman funerary monument of Sauzelles, also called Saint-Fleuret, is a Gallo-Roman bas-relief carved directly in a rocky outcrop, located on the banks of the Creuse, in the department of Indre. Dated between the second and third centuries, it is about 3.50 meters long by 3 meters high. The monument represents three figures on foot – a girl on the left with her dog, a man in the centre carrying a dog, and a woman on the right holding a vase – framed by architectural niches (canned and arched pillars). A partial inscription, engraved on a sign of 1 meter by 50 cm, evokes a dedication to a wife named Monime (or Monima) and a girl named Serville, although the name of the sponsor remains unknown.

Discovered and mentioned in 1873 by F. Voisin, the monument is classified as Historic Monument on July 5, 1905. In 1976, a blue-green glass urn, containing bones and marked with a D, was found in a municipal brush removal. This urn, dated from the late 2nd or early 3rd century, was probably placed in a cavity at the top of the relief. In the same year, a latex cast made by the archaeological research centre of Saint-Marcel (directed by Jean-Jacques Hatt) revealed details erased by erosion, such as the traits of dogs, which are now invisible to the naked eye.

The inscription, partially illegible, has been interpreted in several ways. Otto Hirschfeld (XIXth century) and Isabelle Fauduet (1983) offer separate readings, however, on the tribute to a wife and a missing girl. Calligraphic differences between lines suggest later additions. Dogs, present with each figure, could symbolize fidelity or a funeral role, as suggested by their representation on an altar or in an upright position. The monument thus illustrates Gallo-Roman commemorative practices, combining sculptural art and family rituals.

The site, owned by the municipality of Sauzelles, is now protected but suffers from the effects of frost and runoff, as evidenced by the comparisons between the 19th century drawings and the present state. His iconography and epigraphy make him a rare example of rural burial sculpture in Roman Gaul, documenting both artistic techniques and local beliefs around death.

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