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Origin and history

The Aron Fanum, located in Aurillac in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, is a Gallo-Roman temple of the Upper Empire, probably built in the 1st century AD and abandoned between the 3rd and 4th centuries. Unique in its 16-sided polygonal plane (cella and peripheral gallery), it forms part of a cultural set possibly linked to a nearby source. Its remains, discovered in 1977 during urbanization works, were excavated urgently and protected as a historic monument in 1980. Today, they are highlighted in a public garden, while artifacts are exhibited in the museum of art and archaeology of Aurillac.

The site, located southwest of Aurillac in the Cère Valley (altitude 640 m), is located in a former marshy environment near a spring. The so-called Lescudillier ("trader of stables") evokes the abundant presence of tesses of ancient pottery. No trace of occupation prior to the temple was found on its site, although the area was frequented from the lower Paleolithic. The 19.20-metre-diameter temple combines a polygonal cella and a paved gallery, surrounded by a steep driveway. Its walls, in opus vitatum (limestone and trachy-andesite) supported canned columns with Corinthian capitals, eight of which were found.

The discovery of the fanum in May 1977 was triggered by earthworks for an industrial area, resulting in search of life until 1983. Exhumed objects (ceramics, coins, animal bones, architectural elements) and a model of the temple are preserved at the local museum. The sanctuary was inserted into a peribol (sacred enclosure) whose northern wall, 55 m apart, was partially identified. A paved annex building, perhaps intended for pilgrims, completed the whole. The hypothesis of worship linked to the near source remains privileged, though unconfirmed.

The excavations revealed a variety of furniture, including building materials, ceramics, coins, and animal bones, some objects bearing traces of voluntary mutilation (votive character). Corinthian capitals, adorned with acanthe leaves and carved heads, as well as columns used in later buildings, attest to the architectural richness of the site. Ranked a historical monument in 1980, the fanum is today a rare testimony of Gallo-Roman religious practices in Haute-Auvergne, accessible in an urban space.

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