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Origin and history

The Romano-Celtic Heptagonal Temple of Comblessac, located in Ille-et-Vilaine (British), is a religious building of the fanum type built between the I and IV centuries. Unique in Gaul by its heptagonal plane, it fits into a sacred enclosure including a second rectangular fanum and associated structures. The excavations, carried out from 1901 and then from 1989 to 2011, revealed archaeological furniture attesting to continued occupation up to the Lower Empire. Ranked a historic monument in 1978, the site was subject to aerial prospecting and survey before being covered for conservation.

The sanctuary stands on a promontory overlooking the confluence of the Aff and a tributary, at 96 meters above sea level, in a landscape today agricultural but formerly wooded. Associated with the city of the Coriosolites, it could belong to a secondary agglomeration of the Upper Empire, as suggested by the remains of five buildings and the proximity of the Roman roadway of Ahès (Angers-Carhaix). A 3rd century monetary treasure and white earth statuette, discovered on site, testify to its cultural and economic importance.

The architecture of the heptagonal temple, with a cella of 5.30 m in diameter surrounded by a gallery of 2.70 m, rests on foundations in large blocks. No access was identified, suggesting a podium supporting the structure. The second fanum, originally interpreted as rectangular, would in reality be squared with a gallery, preceded by an earlier state. The interpretations evolved thanks to aerial photos, revealing a complex organization of the sanctuary, possibly linked to Romano-Celtic syncretic cults.

The site, known since the 19th century, was described in 1901 by historian Léon Maître, who saw it as a taurobolic altar. The 1989 to 2001 campaigns allowed the plan to be clarified before it was protected by recovery. Today, the remains, located at the place called Le Mur, occupy a cultivated field at the border of Combessac and Carentoir (Morbihan), although some ancient sources have erroneously located them in the latter commune.

The immediate environment, marked by a barred spur occupied since Prehistory, and the crossing of ancient ways underline the strategic role of the sanctuary. The scattered architectural debris and the nearby Roman Way (D 248) confirm its integration into a regional network, between Juliomagus (Angers) and Vorgium (Carhaix).

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