ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AND MUSEUM OF MONTMAURIN
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The site on which the pretty village of Montmaurin extends today has been inhabited since prehistoric times. It has a unique archaeological heritage, thanks in particular to the presence of the remains of two Gallo-Roman villas, known as Lassalles and Hillière, excavated between 1949 and 1970. Since 2020, a new museum highlights these ancient treasures through a well-organized tour. A good introduction before the discovery of the site.
Built in the first century AD, the villa Lassalles would have developed until around 350 before being redesigned. It is one of the largest and most luxurious villas known in France: its buildings covered an area of nineteen hectares! It had no less than two hundred rooms closed by bay windows, decorated with marble or mosaics, and enjoyed a very modern comfort since it benefited from a heating system by the ground (the famous hypocaust!) and from running water. Excavations have brought to light the remains of the vestibule, the temple, the nymphaeum, several courtyards and many living rooms.
The villa of Hillière is, as for it, organized around a powerful source, with the closest of Save. It adjoins the chapel of Notre-Dame de la Hillière where the restored mosaics are exhibited. The museum, established in the heart of the village, exhibits the collected objects and offers various documents allowing to trace the history of the place.
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