THE GALLO-ROMAN VILLA OF SAINT-CLÉMENT

The site of Saint-Clément is an ancient Gallo-Roman villa measuring 15 by 16 metres, inhabited in the 2nd century AD. As certain place names might suggest (Ispagnac, Quézac, Florac), the Gallo-Roman presence in the Cévennes is attested here.
The remains of the villa are made up of a series of foundations which allow us to understand the configuration of the site. The comfort of the place can be seen in the quality of the fittings: paved terrace facing south-east, fireplace and underfloor heating supplied by an underground hypocaust system, water drainage system and probable water supply from a nearby spring…
In addition to this, the presence of secondary buildings probably linked to a farm, it seems that the owners of the site were of high social rank.
The site is also located close to one of the main routes crossing the Cévennes, which must have been used for trade since Roman times.