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Origin and history

The archaeological site of Cherré, located in the hamlet of Aubigné-Racan (Sarthe, Pays de la Loire), is a protohistoric and ancient complex of about 40 hectares. Occupied from the Bronze Age, it became a hallstattian and later latenian necropolis, marked by tumulus, burials and deposits of ritual weapons. From the end of the first century, the Romans built a monumental ensemble: a 3,000-seat theatre, a market-forum, two temples (one inspired by the Maison Carrée de Nîmes), thermal baths and an aqueduct of 4.5 km. The site, dedicated to Imperial or Warrior worship, had its climax in the second-third centuries before being abandoned in the fourth century.

The excavations, initiated in 1875 by Gustave de Cougny and deepened between 1976 and 2006 by Claude Lambert and Jean Rioufreyt, revealed a seasonal occupation without permanent habitat. The monuments, looted in the Middle Ages to build local Romanesque churches, were partially protected from 1975 (classification as a natural site) and 1991 (registration to Historical Monuments). The departmental council of the Sarthe, owner since 2002, has set up the site for the public, with guided tours and educational workshops.

The origin of the Cherré toponym could go back to the Latin carrus (char), evoking an ancient way frequented. The site, located at a territorial crossroads between the Gaulish peoples of the Andécaves, Cenomans and Turons, illustrates a transition between Celtic cultural practices (arm deposits, funeral enclosures) and Roman urbanization. Its decline, between the third and fourth centuries, coincides with political, economic and the emergence of Christianity.

Major discoveries include a bronze bust of Love (first century), a nearby villa possibly belonging to a notable evergete, and Merovingian necropolises reusing the sacred space. The thermal baths, abandoned early, and the theatre, redesigned in the second century, reveal a Gallo-Roman architecture adapted to local resources (russard sandstone, tuffeau). The water was supplied by the source of Chenon via wood and lead pipes, while dry stone sewers drained wastewater to the Loir.

The status of the site, long debated, is today defined as a secondary agglomeration with dominant religious functions, without any trace of permanent habitat. Comparable to the Shrine of Allonnes, Cherré is distinguished by his theatre not backed by a hill and his temple with sophisticated decor (frescoes, stuccos, imported marbles). The excavations also revealed deposits of Latenian weapons (swords, cauldrons) and oval enclosures related to warrior rituals, confirming its role as a gathering place before and during Romanization.

Since the 2000s, the site has been integrated into a sensitive natural area (Loir meadows) and the Natura 2000 network, combining archaeological heritage and biodiversity. Recent research underscores its importance in the study of the rural sanctuaries of West Wales, where only Cherré and Allonnes have benefited from systematic excavations. The remains, partially restored, offer a unique testimony of cultural and commercial exchanges in Roman Gaul, between local traditions and Mediterranean influences.

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