Roujan-Medilianum (?) de l'Antiquité au Moyen Âge. De la fouille du quartier des sanctuaires à l'identification d'une nouvelle agglomération de la cité de Béziers - article ; n°1 ; vol.40, pg 117-183

Laurent Vidal, Laurent Schneider, Marie-Geneviève Colin

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Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise - Année 2007 - Volume 40 - Numéro 1 - Pages 117-183
An emergency excavation carried out in the Saint- Jean district of Roujan (Hérault) uncovered a set of three Greco-roman temples built on a podium, incorporated within a peribolos, itself opening onto a 33 meter wide square to be uncovered. This lst century AD monumental quarter, which must be associated with another ancient town (Medilianum ?) in the Béziers area, goes through some important alterations as from the 5th century AD. The large central temple is pulled down ; the northern sanctuary is transformed into a funeral building which is soon equipped with an apse, whilst a baptismal building is built on the site of the southern sanctuary. Up until the beginning of the llth century, many graves are dug near both buildings. Throughout this century, settlements are henceforth reorganised around a new castle whilst a canonical priory is founded in its vicinity. Around this time, a heated debate émerges about the processions of the relies of Saint Majan relies which are fought over by several local monasteries (Villemagne, Saint-Thibéry, Aniane) at the expense of the Roujan inhabitants. This topic allows us to grasp through an anthropological angle the complexity of religious displays which are here indissociable from the médiéval constitution of a memory of origins in local Christianity. It also brings forward questions about the récognition of the status of the ancient locality, as well as the part played by this locality in the organisation of the suburbs of Béziers between the Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The Christianisation process is associated with the development of a funeral function inside the ancient peribolos as well as the building of a baptistery. Such an equipment unmistakeably evokes the part played by Episcopal action faced with an organised decentralization which favoured the city's communities. The other way round, this theme also questions the vigour of a civic and religious centre which may have developed during the Early Roman Empire around a hypothetical forum.
FRE: Roujan, Cassan, Saint-Majan, agglomération secondaire, forum, villa, temples, église, baptistère, territoire, espace rural, christianisme.
67 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

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• Publié par: REVUE_ARCHEOLOGIQUE_DE_NARBONNAISE
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 128
• Langue: Français
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 13 Mo

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Marie-Geneviève Colin
Laurent Schneider
Laurent Vidal
Martine Schwaller
Roujan-Medilianum (?) de l'Antiquité au Moyen Âge. De la fouille
du quartier des sanctuaires à l'identification d'une nouvelle
agglomération de la cité de Béziers
In: Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise, Tome 40, 2007. pp. 117-183.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Colin Marie-Geneviève, Schneider Laurent, Vidal Laurent, Schwaller Martine. Roujan-Medilianum (?) de l'Antiquité au Moyen
Âge. De la fouille du quartier des sanctuaires à l'identification d'une nouvelle agglomération de la cité de Béziers. In: Revue
archéologique de Narbonnaise, Tome 40, 2007. pp. 117-183.
doi : 10.3406/ran.2007.1178
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/ran_0557-7705_2007_num_40_1_1178Abstract
An emergency excavation carried out in the Saint- Jean district of Roujan (Hérault) uncovered a set of
three Greco-roman temples built on a podium, incorporated within a peribolos, itself opening onto a 33
meter wide square to be uncovered. This lst century AD monumental quarter, which must be associated
with another ancient town (Medilianum ?) in the Béziers area, goes through some important alterations
as from the 5th century AD. The large central temple is pulled down ; the northern sanctuary is
transformed into a funeral building which is soon equipped with an apse, whilst a baptismal building is
built on the site of the southern sanctuary. Up until the beginning of the llth century, many graves are
dug near both buildings. Throughout this century, settlements are henceforth reorganised around a new
castle whilst a canonical priory is founded in its vicinity. Around this time, a heated debate émerges
about the processions of the relies of Saint Majan relies which are fought over by several local
monasteries (Villemagne, Saint-Thibéry, Aniane) at the expense of the Roujan inhabitants. This topic
allows us to grasp through an anthropological angle the complexity of religious displays which are here
indissociable from the médiéval constitution of a memory of origins in local Christianity. It also brings
forward questions about the récognition of the status of the ancient locality, as well as the part played by
this locality in the organisation of the suburbs of Béziers between the Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
The Christianisation process is associated with the development of a funeral function inside the ancient
peribolos as well as the building of a baptistery. Such an equipment unmistakeably evokes the part
played by Episcopal action faced with an organised decentralization which favoured the city's
communities. The other way round, this theme also questions the vigour of a civic and religious centre
which may have developed during the Early Roman Empire around a hypothetical forum.
Résumé
FRE: Roujan, Cassan, Saint-Majan, agglomération secondaire, forum, villa, temples, église, baptistère,
territoire, espace rural, christianisme.Roujan-Medilianum (?) de l'Antiquité au Moyen Age
De la fouille du quartier des sanctuaires à l'identification
d'une nouvelle agglomération de la cité de Béziers
Marie-Geneviève Colin, Laurent Schneider, Laurent Vidal
avec la participation de Martine Schwaller
À la mémoire de Pierre-Yves Genty
Résumé: une fouille de sauvetage réalisée dans le quartier Saint-Jean à Roujan (Hérault) a permis de mettre au jour un ensemble de trois
temples gréco-romains assis sur podium et inscrits dans un péribole, lui-même ouvert sur une place de 33 m de large. Ce quartier monumental
du Ier s. de n. è., qu'il faut associer à une nouvelle agglomération antique (MedilianumT) de l'espace biterrois, connaît de profondes modifications à
partir du Ve s. Le grand temple central est arasé, le sanctuaire septentrional est transformé en bâtiment funéraire bientôt doté d'une abside tandis
qu'un édifice baptismal est construit sur l'emplacement du sanctuaire méridional. Jusqu'au seuil du XIe s., des sépultures sont installées auprès des
deux édifices. Durant ce siècle, l'habitat se réorganise désormais autour d'un château neuf tandis qu'est fondé un prieuré canonial dans son voisinage.
Émerge alors dans le biterrois une forte polémique autour de la possession des reliques de saint Majan que se disputent différents établissements
monastiques locaux (Villemagne, Saint-Thibéry, Aniane) aux dépens des roujanais. Ce dossier permet d'appréhender selon un angle anthropologique
la complexité des manifestations religieuses ici indissociables de la construction médiévale d'une mémoire des origines du christianisme local. Il
relaie également les questionnements que pose la reconnaissance du statut de la localité antique, comme son rôle dans l'organisation du territoire de
la cité de Béziers entre Antiquité et Moyen Âge. Le processus de christianisation est associé au développement d'une fonction funéraire à l'intérieur
de l'ancien péribole mais aussi à l'édification d'un baptistère. Un tel équipement évoque immanquablement le rôle de l'action épiscopale face à
l'exigence d'une certaine décentralisation ordonnée au service des communautés de la cité. Il interroge à rebours sur la vigueur d'un centre civique
et religieux qui aurait pu se développer durant le haut Empire autour d'un hypothétique forum.
Mots clefs: Roujan, Cassan, Saint-Majan, agglomération secondaire, forum, villa, temples, église, baptistère, territoire, espace rural, christianisme.
Abstract : An emergency excavation carried out in the Saint- Jean district of Roujan (Hérault) uncovered a set of three Greco-roman temples built
on a podium, incorporated within a peribolos, itself opening onto a 33 meter wide square to be uncovered. This lst century AD monumental quarter,
which must be associated with another ancient town {Medilianum ?) in the Béziers area, goes through some important altérations as from the 5th
century AD. The large central temple is pulled down; the northern sanctuary is transformed into a funeral building which is soon equipped with an apse,
whilst a baptismal building is built on the site of the southern sanctuary. Up until the beginning of the llth century, many graves are dug near both
buildings. Throughout this century, settlements are henceforth reorganised around a new castle whilst a canonical priory is founded in its vicinity.
Around this time, a heated debate émerges about the processions of the relies of Saint Majan relies which are fought over by several local monasteries
(Villemagne, Saint-Thibéry, Aniane) at the expense of the Roujan inhabitants. This topic allows us to grasp through an anthropological angle
the complexity of religious displays which are hère indissociable from the médiéval constitution of a memory of origins in local Christianity. It also
brings forward questions about the récognition of the status of the ancient locality, as well as the part played by this locality in the organisation of
the suburbs of Béziers between the Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The Christianisation process is associated with the development of a funeral function
inside the ancient peribolos as well as the building of a baptistery. Such an equipment unmistakeably evokes the part played by Episcopal action
faced with an organised decentralization which favoured the city's communities. The other way round, this thème also questions the vigour of a civic
and religious centre which may hâve developed during the Early Roman Empire around a hypothetical forum.
Key words : Roujan, Cassan, Saint Majan, secondary town, forum, villa, temples, church, baptistery, territory, rural space, Christianity.
RAN. 40. 2007, pp. 117-193 118 Marie-Geneviève Colin, Laurent Schneider, Laurent Vidal avec la participation de Martine Schwaller
En 1986, aux termes d'une longue négociation, l'assiette En 1982, des travaux liés à la réalisation d'un lotissement
du lotissement communal fut finalement décalée, préserdans la périphérie du village de Roujan (Hérault) attirent
vant ainsi d'une destruction totale cet ensemble original. l'attention de la Direction des Antiquités Historiques dans
Tandis que les fouilles étaient arrêtées et que les premières un secteur de l'ancienne cité antique de Béziers alors
données étaient publiées sous la forme de notices de synquasiment inconnu des chercheurs (fig. 1). Une campagne
de fouille de sauvetage urgent et trois campagnes de thèse, un programme de prospections se mettait en place
dans le cadre de la carte archéologique. Poursuivi jusqu'au fouilles de « programmé » permettent de mettre
milieu des années 1990, ce programme permettait de au jour le quartier monumental d'une agglomération
mieux caractériser l'ag