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Gallo-Roman ruins of Salted Fountains (also on Saint-Père municipality) à Saint-Père dans l'Yonne

Patrimoine classé
Sites archéologique
Yonne

Gallo-Roman ruins of Salted Fountains (also on Saint-Père municipality)

    15 Rue de l'Abbé Pissier
    89450 Foissy-lès-Vézelay
Site archéologique des Fontaines Salées de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Ruines gallo-romaines des Fontaines Salées également sur commune de Saint-Père
Crédit photo : Emmanuel Brunner - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Néolithique
Âge du Bronze
Âge du Fer
Antiquité
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
2300 av. J.-C.
2200 av. J.-C.
0
100
200
300
1900
2000
2309–2223 av. J.-C.
First Neolithic Wells
Ier siècle
Construction of the first thermal baths
IIIe siècle
Destruction by the Alamans
1933
Rediscovered site
1936 et 1942
Historical monument classification
2017
Opening of the reception centre
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Gallo-Roman ruins, places known as the Poron and the Fontaines-Salées: classification by decree of 25 January 1936 and by decree of 14 January 1942

Key figures

René Louis - Medievis and archaeologist Initiator of excavations in 1934, discoverer of the thermal baths.
Robert Dauvergne - Specialist in archaeology Collaborator of excavations, author of studies on the site.
Bernard Lacroix - Archaeologist and Abbé Contributed to the study of burials and craft facilities.
Constance II - Roman Emperor (IVth century) Moneys found on the site dating from his reign.
Dèce - Roman Emperor (IIIth century) Currency attesting to late occupancy of site.

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.

External links

Conditions of visit

  • Conditions de visite : Ouvert toute l'année
  • Période d'ouverture : Horaires, jours et tarifs sur le site de la ville ci-dessus.