Ancienne église Saint-Martin

English translation

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History

The remains brought to light resulted from a programmed excavation carried out in 2008-2009 on the site of the former church of Saint-Martin. The first stone building identified would correspond to an urban dwelling of the domus type from the 2nd century AD. It is within the ruins of the domus, abandoned in the first half of the 4th century, that a pagan necropolis was established. The Late Empire necropolis was at the origin of the construction of a vast Early Christian funerary basilica of the 5th and 6th centuries. The entire edifice, including the sanctuary, accommodated a multitude of burials in sarcophagi, in rubble stone low walls and in chests of Roman tiles. The 'crypt of saint Valbert' was constructed around 670. Its elaborate architecture reflects the importance and degree of sacrality accorded to this space. For some decades, Saint-Martin had been integrated into the enclosure of the monastery and fulfilled the function of monastic funerary church. The presence of the tomb of Abbot saint Valbert led to the development of the monastic necropolis with the presence of a large number of sarcophagi. This type of external crypt remains exceptional for such early periods (Merovingian period). The church was rebuilt in the early 9th century, incorporating a group of primitive sarcophagi as well as an apse bearing witness to a commemorative character. Saint-Martin evolved from its monastic function towards parochial use at a date which would be situated around the 12th-13th centuries. The site contains more than 125 sarcophagi, thus yielding the most important remains of this type for eastern France.