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Origin and history

The Temple of the Essarts of Grand Couronne is a Gallo-Roman vestige identified as a fanum, type of sanctuary typical of this period. The first excavations, carried out in 1902 by L. De Vesly, revealed the general plan of the temple, revealing a cult structure surrounded by a gallery and a central cella. The exhumed archaeological objects, including coins, were deposited in the departmental museum of Antiquities in 1903, marking the beginning of the scientific study of the site.

In 1966-1967, Charles Schneider conducted additional surveys on the debris of the previous excavations, confirming the presence of a chamber delimiting the sacred space. The development of the RN138 in 1991 required an archaeological diagnosis, highlighting the degraded state of the site: the road slope partially obscured the building, while underground excavations damaged the south and east walls. Three holes in the fanum and nineteen on the outskirts allowed to clarify the spatial organization of the sanctuary, despite the erosion of the remains.

Ranked a Historical Monument by decree of 9 November 1922, the temple illustrates the importance of local cults during the Gallo-Roman period in Normandy. The successive excavations highlighted the complexity of the site, combining a central religious building with a sacred enclosure, although its present state no longer allows an easy reading of its original plan. The associated collections, preserved at the Museum of Antiquities, remain a major source for understanding the ritual practices of the period.

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