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Origin and history

The Gallo-Roman villa of the Coue d'Auzenat, also called Lacou Dausena, is an archaeological site located in Brossac, in the Charente department. This vestige, facing southeast/northwest, includes a 57.40 m by 22 m house body, with thick walls of 0.75 m and high up to 7.50 m. Construction techniques suggest dating before the 2nd century, under the Antonins or the Severes. Stones, joined by robust cement, and mosaic fragments testify to its importance.

Close by, a 62 m aqueduct, fed by the source of the Fontenelles, distributed the water via ducts integrated into the walls. These canals, formed of bricks to edge, confirm Roman engineering. The site, classified as a historical monument in 1875 (villa) and 1889 (aqueduct), has been owned by the Conseil départemental de la Charente since 1980. His name, linked to medieval mentions such as the Couz d'Ouvenac (1278), evokes walls, although the hypothesis of a connection with the poet Ausone is today rejected.

The villa, typical of urban pars (housing of the master), was to be accompanied by a rustica pars (agricultural part). Its location near a Roman road linking Saintes to Périgueux underlines its role in regional exchanges. The 19th century excavations, led by Abbé Michon, revealed remarkable architectural and hydraulic elements, confirming his status as Gallo-Roman aristocratic residence.

The site, located 1 km east of Brossac, illustrates the Roman occupation in Aquitaine. The remains, though partial, offer a rare testimony of the techniques of construction and water management of the period. Today, there remains an example studied of the adaptation of local elites to Roman models, in a Charentais rural context.

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