The ancient agglomeration of Grand (Vosges)
a religious complex on a sacred spring
The archaeological remains of Grand have been known since the 18th century. They bear to witness the importance of the city, adorned with several monuments.
Project leader: Thierry Dechezleprêtre, Conservateur en chef du patrimoine, Conseil départemental des Vosges, UMR 8546 ENS-CNRS.
In the 1960s, Edouard Salin initiated a new phase of studies specifically focusing on the Apollo Temple of Grand. Several authors had suggested its existence during the 19th century, such as Jean-Baptiste Prosper Jollois and Camille Jullian, who spoke of Grand in these terms: “In the heart of the Champagne region, a mysterious city where a thousand devotees met.”
Syntheses from the 1980s and 1990s have led to consider this archaeological site as a vast religious complex centered on a sacred spring and protected by a monumental rampart of about 20 hectares.
The current collaborative research project aims to collect and create reference documentation on the former excavation campaigns. It also seeks to pursue the collections’ studies and to develop new research focuses, especially on settlements’ morphologies, the distribution of water, urban patterns and land uses in the city’s neighboring areas.