Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The archaeological site of the Salt Fountains, on horseback on Foissy-lès-Vézelay and Saint-Père in Yonne, is a place of emergence of salt springs exploited from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages. Ranked historic monument in 1936 and 1942, it owes its discovery in 1933 to sand extraction, revealing neolithic wells and Gallo-Roman remains. The excavations, carried out by René Louis, Robert Dauvergne and Bernard Lacroix from 1934 onwards, revealed thermal baths, burials, and objects dating from the first millennium BC, confirming an uninterrupted human occupation.

The geology of the site, marked by the crossing of two major faults (the Morvan and the Salt Fountains), allows the rise of mineralized waters rich in sodium chloride. These waters, at 15.2 °C and slightly radioactive, were captured via wooden wells dated from the Iron Age (c. 900 B.C.), then exploited for the production of salt and therapeutic uses. The Celts established a circular sanctuary there, before the Romans built in the 1st century mixed baths, enlarged in the 2nd and 3rd centuries with sports facilities like a palace.

In the third century, the Alaman invasions partially destroyed the site, reducing its use to artisanal salt mining until the fifth century. The excavations revealed coins from Emperors Constance II and Dèce (fourth century), as well as a rural villa named Vercellacus, transmitted as a Carolingian estate. The imposition of gabelle in the 13th century ended local salt extraction, burying the site under embankments until its rediscovery in the 20th century. Today, a reception centre (opened in 2017) allows to explore these unique remains in Burgundy-Franche-Comté.

The Gallo-Roman baths of the Salt Fountains illustrate a gradual adaptation of Roman techniques, with a heating system and spaces dedicated to hot and cold baths. The site, located on an ancient route from Autun to Auxerre, attracted a regional clientele for its healing virtues. The remains also include exceptionally preserved oak vultures from the iron age, showing early hydraulic control. The sacred dimension of the sources, perpetuated until the Middle Ages, appears in symbolic arrangements like a well surrounded by pebbles.

The archaeological excavations also exhumed a Celtic "dhurn field" (900 BC), mammoth defences, and neolithic tools, revealing a rare cultural stratification. The site, which has been a communal property since 2008, is an emblematic example of the transition between Celtic and Roman practices, marked by the coexistence of shrines, neighbouring steelmaking activities, and a flourishing salt trade. Its gradual abandonment reflects the economic and political upheavals of late Gaul.

Future

The museum is located near the church of Saint-Père, it contains three rooms, two of which are on the site.

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