Musée Les Sources d’Hercule: A Roman Spring Sanctuary in Deneuvre, France

Visitor Information

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Official Website: www.museehercule.fr

Country: France

Civilization: Roman

Remains: Museum

History

The Musée Les Sources d’Hercule is located in Deneuvre, a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department of northeastern France. This region was part of the Roman province of Gaul during antiquity. The sanctuary uncovered here was constructed in the mid-2nd century CE by the Romans and dedicated to Hercules, a demigod revered in Roman mythology for his strength and heroic deeds.

In 1974, the sanctuary was rediscovered by a local farmer named Blaise while digging a well. Archaeological excavations led by Gérard Moitrieux and the Société d’Archéologie de Deneuvre took place from 1974 to 1984. These efforts revealed a remarkable collection of artifacts, especially statues of Hercules. In 1996, the Musée Les Sources d’Hercule was established in the former presbytery of Deneuvre to preserve and display these finds, including a reconstruction of the sanctuary.

Remains

The site is identified as a spring sanctuary, a type of sacred place built around a natural water source, dedicated to Hercules. It dates to the mid-2nd century CE, placing it firmly within the Roman period in Gaul. The sanctuary’s layout and construction details have been partially reconstructed based on the archaeological evidence.

More than one hundred statues and fragments depicting Hercules were recovered, representing the largest known concentration of such sculptures in the western Roman Empire.

Today, the original site remains in a fragmentary state, but the museum features a reconstruction that reflects the sanctuary’s probable appearance. This reconstruction is based on the physical remains and the extensive collection of statues.