Vestiges archéologiques gallo-romains du Clos-Mulon
MonumentHidden Treasure
Vestiges archéologiques gallo-romains du Clos-Mulon, located in Corseul (Département 22), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Corseul, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.4829, -2.1699
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089757
At the heart of the ancient Fanum Martis, the remains of Clos-Mulon reveal the splendour of an exceptional Gallo-Roman villa, witness to the profound Romanisation of Armorica at the turn of our era.
History
In Corseul, the ancient capital of the Coriosolites, the archaeological remains of Clos-Mulon are one of the most precious testimonies to the Roman presence in Brittany. Buried beneath the farmland of this market town in the Dinan region, these ruins are the remains of a vast ancient villa that flourished between the 1st and 4th centuries AD, a time when Corseul - then known as Fanum Martis - was a major administrative and commercial hub in north-west Gaul. What makes Clos-Mulon truly unique is the sheer size of its footprint and the architectural quality of the structures unearthed. Successive excavations have revealed a complex of buildings organised according to a typically rational Roman plan: the main dwelling, communal wings, private baths and agricultural outbuildings arranged around a central courtyard. Remains of tiled concrete floors, geometric mosaics and hypocaust systems testify to the high level of comfort and social status enjoyed by the occupants of this residence. A visit to the remains of Clos-Mulon is both a contemplative and educational experience. Set in an unspoilt rural environment, the ruins offer a glimpse of the power and elegance of Roman domestic architecture in a provincial context. Interpretative panels guide visitors through the site, using text and images to recreate the appearance of a residence whose walls are still visible here and there, like fragments of a stubbornly vivid memory. The bocage setting of the Breton countryside, with its hedge-lined fields and gentle horizons, lends the site a soothing atmosphere that contrasts with the historical density buried beneath our feet. For the attentive visitor, the confrontation between this unchanging Breton landscape and the outcropping Roman structures produces a rare archaeological emotion, a genuine dialogue between two civilisations separated by seventeen centuries.
Architecture
The villa at Clos-Mulon is typical of the large villae rusticae of north-western Roman Gaul, organised on a symmetrical axial plan. The complex comprises a pars urbana - the residential part of the house - with a central body flanked by two projecting wings forming a U-shaped façade opening onto an inner courtyard. This layout, inherited from Italian domestic architecture, was commonly adopted in the prestigious residences of the Gallic provinces from the 1st to the 4th century. The building materials identified during the excavations combine local granite rubble and Armorican schist, bonded with lime, with fired brick facings for the thermal structures. The floors of the reception rooms were covered in red-tinted opus signinum concrete, sometimes decorated with geometric motifs in white limestone tesserae, while the service rooms had floors of rammed earth or rough mortar. The walls bore traces of painted plaster, some polychrome fragments of which were uncovered during the excavations. One of the villa's most remarkable architectural features is its thermal equipment. The hypocaust system - a raised floor on square brick piers (pilae) allowing hot air to circulate - was uncovered in several rooms, revealing the extent of the private baths. All the thermal structures probably covered an area of several hundred square metres, giving the villa a level of comfort comparable to that of the province's large urban residences.
Related Figures
Jules César — conquérant de l'Armorique et des Coriosolites en 56 av. J.-C., dont la victoire sur Vénètes et alliés ouvrit la voie à la romanisation de la régionAuguste — premier empereur romain sous lequel débuta la véritable urbanisation de Fanum Martis et l'essor des villae de la cité des CoriosolitesPropriétaire aristocratique coriosolite (anonyme) — notable local romanisé présumé commanditaire de la villa au Ier siècle, figure emblématique de la romanisation de l'élite armoricaineÉrudits locaux du XIXe siècle — premiers explorateurs du site qui signalèrent les vestiges et alertèrent les autorités scientifiques sur la richesse archéologique du Clos-MulonArchéologues du Service Régional de l'Archéologie de Bretagne — responsables des fouilles systématiques qui permirent la classification du site comme Monument Historique
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Vestiges archéologiques gallo-romains du Clos-Mulon located?
Vestiges archéologiques gallo-romains du Clos-Mulon is located in Corseul, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Vestiges archéologiques gallo-romains du Clos-Mulon open to visitors?
Vestiges archéologiques gallo-romains du Clos-Mulon is currently closed to visitors.
