Gallo-Roman sanctuary of Grand

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Gallo-Roman sanctuary of Grand ( Andesina in Roman times ) is dedicated to the Gallic - Roman god of healing Apollon - Grannus . It was built in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD and is located in the municipality of Grand in the Vosges department in France . The Peutinger tablet over the Roman road network lists the sanctuary of Grand under the name Andesina with a protruding bath symbol and thus counts it among the great thermal baths of the empire.

Roman road Langres (Andemantunum) - Neufchâteau (Noviomagus) - Toul (Tullum Leucorum / Tullio) - Dieulouard (Scarponna) - Metz (Mediomatricum) on the Peutinger tablet (the connection Andemantunum-Noviomagus is missing), in the middle the source sanctuary of Andesina

Location description and geology

The municipality of Grand is located 22 km west of Neufchâteau on the outermost edge of the Vosges department on the border with the Haute-Marne department on a limestone plateau surrounded by forests (see map of Grand (Vosges)) .

The water of the karstified plateau collected underground, appeared in the form of a small pond (a kind of karst spring ) on the surface, then disappeared again in a crevice and only came back 3.5 km to the north as a small river (now called "Maldite") Upper reaches of the "Ornain") back to daylight. The pouring of the water outlet point in Grand was dependent on the season and the amount of precipitation. At times the small pond was completely dry. The intermittent nature of the source encouraged mystical interpretation by the Celtic ethnic religion .

history

Celtic time

The geological peculiarities of the karstified limestone area and the spring pond already attracted the Celts. Here they created a place of worship for their healing and spring god Grannus, who enjoyed a high reputation as a donor of healing, especially in northeastern Gaul. The Romans therefore easily united this Celtic deity with Apollo , the god of prophecy and healing, who, according to Caesar, drives away diseases .

Roman period

The Romans developed their Gallo-Roman sanctuary in the place of the Celtic Grannus worship before the 1970s. They drew a circle around the spring pond with a radius of 1,500 Roman feet (440 m) and declared the area a sacred district. According to the pomerium of ancient places of worship and communities, the boundary line was only marked by a simple ditch loosened up here and there by statues and groups of sculptures. Today it represents the paved path surrounding the village of Grand, the name of which “Voie close” reminds of its earlier use. The aerial view of the archaeological site shows Grand as a conspicuous circular area about 880 m (3,000 Roman feet) in diameter.

The total area of ​​the holy precinct occupied 70 hectares. In the years 70 AD and later, the Romans then erected a 1760 m long defensive wall in an irregular hexagonal shape with 22 round towers and gates 80 m apart, some of which were impressive in size. In this inner space of 18 hectares, the buildings dedicated to the cult of the healing god and adjacent vacant lots for accommodating the pilgrims were centrally located.

From the center of the sanctuary (the former spring pond), where the underground river came to light, fifteen kilometers of water tunnels (accessible galleries) extended. The purpose of the pipe system was to distribute the water of the spring river in a regulated manner. In addition, 307 wells were found in the area of ​​the complex. The construction work on the sanctuary in Grand can be determined until 140 AD.

A votive inscription found on the excavation site in 1935 with the inscription "somno iussus" confirms the practice of temple sleep of the pilgrims who spent the night inside the sanctuary and in a dream state awaited the appearance of the god. One can accept previous purification and water rites.

Map of Gaul 58 BC With important tribes, cities, rivers, etc.
Roman Empire around 210

Famous visitors

The cult of Apollo was of great importance. Around 425, the Christian poet Claudius Marius Victor recalled in his biblical work Aletheia (3, 204) that Apollo had come "to work as a doctor among the leuk " . And two visits by emperors within a hundred years added glamor and fame to the pilgrimage to Grand.

Caracalla (188-217)

Caracalla

According to Cassius Dio (163-229), Emperor Caracalla suffered from physical and mental complaints, to whose relief he visited three places of his Imperium Romanum, which were known for healing deities, during his reign (211-217). That is how he probably came to the sanctuary of Grand in 213. The assumption is based on the following passage:

" But none of the gods gave him an answer that led to the healing of his body or his mind, although he honored the most famous ... Indeed, neither Apollon Grannus [in Grand] , nor Asclepius [in Pergamon ] , nor Serapis [in Alexandria ] came to his aid, despite his many requests and great perseverance "

- Cassius Dio : Roman History, 78, 15, 5-6

The more recent research opinion considers it possible that the text passage in Dio refers to the sanctuary of Apollo-Grannus in Faimingen (Rhaetia) instead of Grand .

An inscription found by Jean-Baptiste Jollois and completed in 1981, however, refers to Caracalla with “Antoninum”, whose official emperor name was “Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus”. The donations of the emperor, who came to Grand in the year 213, to the sanctuary are said to have allowed the financing of the basilica's mosaic and the renovation of the western part of the amphitheater.

Constantine the Great

Constantine the Great

In 309, Emperor Constantine the Great paid a visit to "the most beautiful sanctuary in the world" ( templum toto orbe pulcherrimum ) on his return journey from Massalia (Marseille) via Lugdunum (Lyon) to Augusta Treverorum (Trier) .

Christianity

Christianity recalls the sanctuary in Grand with the passion stories of the martyrs Eliphius, who were traditionally executed, and the Holy Libaire. The two hagiographic texts of the Middle Ages attempt to transfer the pagan rites of Grand into the Christian environment.

The mythical pagan spring pond was filled in and a church named after Sainte Libaire was built over it.

Buildings

Arcade with central district

Within the fortification wall, a rectangular 6 m wide colonnade surrounded the core area reserved for the incubation rite (hypnotic healing sleep according to Asklepios ). It contained the magical watering hole (holy pond), which had been left natural out of respect for the sacred character of the place, the temple of Apollo and the basilica. The walls of the portico were adorned with marble and stucco and the floor covered with polished terrazzo .

The Temple of Apollo

The central complex of Andesina contained a large temple. Inside the area bounded by the colonnade, a temple from the late first century or early second century AD with its 31 × 62 m footprint rested on a 3 m high platform. Its wanton destruction (probably by supporters of early Christianity) left hardly any traces. Archaeologists found that 80 different types of marble from across the Roman Empire were used in its construction, giving an indication of its former grandeur.

Numerous fragments have been found during excavations. They show very different figures: lioness , griffin , Silenus or satyr , maenad , faun , panther , ram , horse, Mercurius , Asklepios , Hygieia , Marsyas , the head of a child (possibly Caracalla, the son of Septimius Severus ) and the remains a large imperial statue. It is a classic sculpture with Hellenistic influences and far from native traditions.

Mosaic on the basilica floor

The basilica building and its mosaic

In 1883, the archaeologist Félix Voulot discovered the largest mosaic found in Lorraine (or France) at 232 square meters . It covers the floor of the basilica, a public building that also serves as a meeting room, court and market hall, not far from the sacred spring basin. For a long time it was dated to the middle of the 3rd century, today some scientists believe that it could have been created as early as the 2nd half of the second century.

The central motif, of which only a third remained, could represent a scene from the play Phasma (The Ghost) by Menander . Other researchers suggest that the two recognizable figures could be a pilgrim and a priest of Apollo Grannus. The corners are decorated with depictions of animals (dog or bear, tiger, panther, wild boar). The apse section is decorated with geometric motifs arranged as a shield ( pelta ).

Gothic church of Sainte Libaire

The parish church of Sainte Libaire, in danger of collapsing

The great parish church of the village of Grand is St. Consecrated Martyr Libaire. The church was built between the late 15th and the first half of the 16th century in the late Gothic style and was restored in the 18th century and greatly changed in the process. Since then, its entire structure has been considered threatened. Her condition has been so critical for 20 years that she had to be closed to the public.

The cause - its unsafe location, which is subject to strong ground movements - was only recognized in the 1990s: a place where the underground water currents want to emerge is located under the church. It is the former holy pond from Gallo-Roman times, on which, as was customary at the time, the Christian predecessor building was built to demonstrate the power of the new faith over the pagan sanctuary. In order to secure the subsoil, it was believed that backfilling the rubble from the Temple of Apollo into the waterhole, which had dried up after the Roman supply lines had collapsed, would at least temporarily be sufficient. Even so, the water pressure was enough to destabilize the building. So far there is no technical or financial solution in sight. It is to be feared that the listed building will have to be abandoned because of the high costs of saving this cultural heritage.

The roman theater

Theater of the Grand (Vosges)

The theater (see map of Grand (Vosges)) still located within the holy precinct ("pomerium") was almost 150 meters (500 Roman feet) long. Its capacity of over 16,000 spectators shows the popularity of a pilgrimage to Andesina at the time. The hybrid structure was first built in the semi-oval shape typical of Gaul as a stage theater and later converted into an arena ( amphitheater ) for gladiator fights and other performances by doubling the "orchestra" (semicircular flat surface in front of the stage) .

The elliptical arena was connected to the outside world by two monumental corridors to the west and east. Instead of the stage building that was no longer needed, it contained “ carceres ” (cells) for the gladiators and animals. In the late first century, small-scale rubble concrete was used as building material, and large stone blocks were used in the renovation of the western part in the early third century. Parts of the mantle walls and some arcades are still preserved from the building, which was abandoned in the 4th century. In the most recent restoration, spectator stands were added.

The zodiac tablets from Grand

Tablet zodiacale de Grand - MAN.jpg

In 1967 and 1968 four ivory tablets were found in well No. 77, the inscriptions of which resulted in two Latin sayings and which had apparently been broken on purpose. One of the diptychs can be seen in the "Musée départemental des Vosges" in Épinal , the other is in the Musée des Antiquités Nationales in Saint-Germain-en-Laye .

They point to the Egyptian tradition at the end of the Ptolemaic period or the beginning of Roman rule. The names of the decades have been translated back into the Old Coptic language using Greek letters . The tablets testify to the oriental influence, which particularly spread in Gaul towards the end of the second century AD.

literature

  • Chantal Bertaux: Pèlerinage au sanctuaire de Grand. In Les tablettes astrologiques de Grand (Vosges) et l'astrologie en Gaule romaine. Actes de la table ronde du 18 mars 1992, organized au Center d'études romaines et gallo-romaines de l'Université Lyon III. De Boccard, Paris 1993, pp. 25-38.
  • Brigitte Müller-Rettig: The sanctuary of Apollo Grannus in Grand (Vosges). In: Journal for the history of the Saar region 41, 1993, pp. 41–66.
  • Jean-Paul Bertaux: Le sanctuaire de l'eau de Grand, d'Apollon… à Sainte Libaire. , In: Le pays lorrai 87, 2006, pp. 7-14.
  • Jean-Noël Castorio: Le 'Pseudo-Marsyas' et le portrait présumé de Géta découverts à Grand (Vosges). In: Latomus 65, 2006, pp. 659-678 Plates VII-XIV.
  • Ludovic Trommenschlager: Étude numismatique du site archéologique de Grand (Vosges). In: Bulletin du Cercle d'Études Numismatiques 49, 2012, 1, pp. 47-61.

Web links

Commons : Andesina  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ see section Andesina in the article Voie romaine Reims-Metz of the French language Wikipedia
  2. ↑ see article Maldite in the French language Wikipedia
  3. ↑ see article Ornain in the French language Wikipedia
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h see web link Association Guillaume Budé - section orléanaise: Fiches de géographie littéraire - Grand
  5. ↑ see explanation Claustrum = locked place in the article monastery
  6. ↑ see literature Chantal Bertaux: Pèlerinage au sanctuaire de Grand
  7. ↑ a b c d e f see web link Michelin: The green travel guide, Alsace-Lorraine, Grand
  8. ↑ See reconstruction of the Gallo-Roman sanctuary of Andesina ( Memento of August 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (watercolor by Jean-Claude Golvin).
  9. ^ AE 1937, 55 .
  10. ^ Translation: Cassius Dio: Roman History , trans. by Otto Veh , Artemis & Winkler, Düsseldorf 2007, ISBN 978-3-538-03103-6 (originally 1985, with a new introduction).
  11. ↑ Jeanne-Marie Demarolle: Caracalla consulte Apollon Grannus s 213; À Grand ou à Faimingen (Rhétie)? in: La mosaïque de Grand. Actes de la table ronde de Grand, October 29-31, 2004 , pp. 63-82.
  12. ↑ Panégyrique de Constantin, 7, 21, 3-4. "Le lendemain du jour où, informé de cette agitation, tu avais fait doubler les étapes, tu appris que tous ces remous étaient calmés et que la tranquillité était revenue, telle que tu l'avais laissée <à ton départ>. La fortune elle -même réglait toute chose de telle façon que l'heureuse issue de tes affaires t'avertit de porter aux dieux immortels les offrandes que tu leur avais promises <et que la nouvelle t'en parvint> à l'endroit où tu venais de t 'écarter de la route pour te rendre au plus beau temple du monde, et même auprès du dieu qui y habite, comme tu l'as vu.Car tu as vu, je crois, Constantin, ton protecteur Apollon, accompagné de la Victoire, t'offrir des couronnes de laurier dont chacune t'apporte le présage de trente années "(translation: E. Galletier: Panégyriques latins. Vol. 2, Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 1952, p. 72). Brigitte Müller-Rettig: The Panegyricus of the year 310 on Constantine the Great. Translation and historical-philological commentary , Stuttgart 1990. See also Klaus Martin Girardet : The Kaiser and his God. Christianity in thought and in the religious policy of Constantine the Great , de Gruyter, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-11-022788-8 , p. 34 chapter Grand (Vosges) - a first step: the turn to “Sol Invictus” online excerpt .
  13. ^ Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina 2482.
  14. ↑ Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina 4903.
  15. ↑ a b c d e Grand - Andésina: Sanctuaire romain des eaux… | Lorraine de Coeur | Le Blog des Amoureux de la Lorraine. December 20, 2013, accessed February 25, 2020 .
  16. ↑ Jeanne-Marie Demarolle (ed.): La mosaïque de Grand. Actes de la table ronde de Grand, 29-31 October 2004. Center régional universitaire lorrain d'histoire, Metz 2006.
  17. ↑ Jean-Pierre Darmon: La mosaïque de Grand mise en perspective , in: La mosaïque de Grand. Actes de la table ronde de Grand, 29-31 October. 2004, pp. 91-118.
  18. ↑ a b See web link La lorraine se devoile: L'église Saint Libaire à Grand
  19. ↑ The article fr: Grand (Vosges) in the French-language Wikipedia describes the location of the former Temple of Apollo right next door
  20. ↑ See article Amphithéâtre de Grand in the French language Wikipedia.
  21. ↑ A. Olivier: L'amphithéâtre de Grand (Vosges). Organization and construction. In: Spectacula, 2. Le théâtre antique et ses spectacles. Actes du colloque tenu à Lattes les 27-30 avril 1989. Lattes 1992, pp 163-168.
  22. ↑ S. Les tablettes astrologiques de Grand (Vosges) et l'astrologie en Gaule romaine. Actes de la table ronde du 18 mars 1992, organized au Center d'études romaines et gallo-romaines de l'Université Lyon III. De Boccard, Paris 1993.