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Origin and history

The Roman villa of Bapteste, discovered in 1871 in the territory of Moncrabeau (Lot-et-Garonne), was searched under the direction of Joseph-Guillaume-Anatole Faugère-Dubourg and Xavier Teulières. The first discoveries, announced in Le Moniteur Universelle in January 1872, revealed mosaics and furniture dating mainly from the fourth century, the period of the site's climax. A barn-museum was built in 1872 to house these remains, but it fell into ruins and was razed in 1965. Further excavations in 1995 confirmed the damage caused by the ploughing of the land after the abandonment of initial research.

Archaeological elements suggest a continuous occupation since protohistory, with a first villa probably built in the 1st or 2nd century. The site, organized around two inner courtyards (an atrium and a peristylium), had more than forty rooms arranged in parallelogram, typical of the large Roman villas. Heating ducts under the pavements of the southern rooms indicate a winter home, while the absence of these systems north evokes summer spaces. The villa, probably on one floor, was occupied until the eighth century, as evidenced by paleo-Christian objects.

The discovery of one octogonal room and another in triconque nourished the hypothesis, advanced by the local historian Reinhold Dezeimeris and taken over by Georges Tholin in 1874, according to which the villa could be the Ebromagus mentioned by Saint Paulin. This theory, though controversial, marked the interpretation of the site. Classified as a Historical Monument in 1875, the villa of Bapteste reflects the architectural and social evolution of the Roman Aquitaine, from its golden age to its decline under the Wisigoth invasions and the Carolingian conquest.

Part of the furniture discovered is now preserved at Nerac Castle, while mosaics, degraded and partially destroyed, could not be preserved. The site, although protected, suffers from erosion of time and agricultural activities, limiting the possibilities of subsequent excavations. Initial research, documented in publications such as the Monumental Bulletin (1872-1874), remains a major source of understanding this exceptional heritage.

The villa of Bapteste also illustrates the challenges of preserving archaeological heritage in the 19th century. The construction and subsequent disappearance of the barn-museum, as well as sporadic excavations, highlight the shortcomings of the preservation methods of the time. Despite these losses, the site retains an undeniable historical value, reflecting the Romanization of the Aquitaine and the cultural transitions between Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

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