Roman villa in Montcaret

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Geo: 44.8587, 0.06384

This afternoon we visited a archaeological site in the small village of Montcaret. We explored the remains of a 1st century AD Roman villa that was inhabited until the 5th century. Then in the 11th century some monks built a church on the abandoned site. The church was partly destroyed during the 16th century Wars of Religion. The cemetery and village grew up around it, erasing all traces of the villa. In 1827 it was discovered but it wasn't until 1926 that it was listed as a historical monument. Unfortunately, much of the villa still lies beneath the church and village.
The residential part of the villa was at one time luxurious, and laid out around courtyard surrounded by galleries, with vast reception rooms and thermal baths. One pool was adorned with mosaics of dolphins, fish, and squid. The floors of one of the galleries had a fish scale mosaic and another had Solomon's knot motif. The large dining area had five different mosaic patterns covering it. Unfortunately, it also had a couple medieval burials that damaged the mosaics. We found site very interesting and the mosaics well displayed for us to see.
From Montcaret we drove through the countryside and found an old 11th century church we wandered around. Then we headed off in search of a cool beer. Unfortunately, after driving through five different villages we discovered that at 5:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon nothing is open!!

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Comments

[Sue]

What a wonderful travel blog! Thoroughly enjoyed reading your descriptions & seeing your photos! Thanks for sharing! Looks like a fantastic trip, especially with all the wine tasting... Right up my alley.

[jimpat]

Thanks Sue, Glad you are enjoying it. We are having a fabulous time.