The so-called West Sanctuary Precinct consisted of three temples, known as the Derrière la Tour temple, the Round Temple and the Grange des Dîmes temple.
Plan of the western part of the city. De Pury-Gysel 2012(2), Abb. 15.
1-7: burials (Late Iron Age - Augustus); 8: continuation of the Decumanus Maximus; 9-11: religious or public buildings.The Derrière la Tour temple was a Gallo-Roman temple measuring 24.00 x 17.20 m. (including the staircase on the east side) with a rectangular cella. It was built in the years 30-70 AD. The deity to whom it was dedicated is unknown. Parts of composite capitals and fluted columns were found. The Round Temple was built in the second half of the first century. It had a circular cella (internal diam. 7.20 m.) standing on a dodecagonal podium (outer diam. 19.10 m.) with twelve fluted columns and composite capitals. Again the deity that was worshipped is unknown. The Grange des Dîmes temple was built during the reign of Augustus or Tiberius. It was a square Gallo-Roman temple with a podium measuring 20 x 19.80 m. and a cella of 10.80 x 9.40 m. It was reached via a staircase that was 7 m. wide. Amongst the remains of the architectural decoration was a Corinthian capital with the inscription Lugoves, Celtic deities protecting crafts and trade. Fragments of a second group of Imperial statues were found, probably also erected after the senatus consultum of 19 AD that had prompted the erection of statues on the forum. The group included two female figures, a small male figure wearing a toga, and a statue of the deified Augustus that was about 3.50 m. high. The statues will have been standing on a podium near the temple. At a distance of about four meters from the staircase of the temple was a small square shrine with four columns, measuring 1.60 x 1.60 m.
Limestone capital with the inscription LVGOVES, originally filled with bronze letters.
W. 1.32, h. 0.79, d. 0.92. Kolb et al. 2022, nr. 151. Photo: EDCS-10800481.To the north of the Grange des Dïmes temple, in block 19, a building from the early first century was found that was decorated with mosaics, paintings and marble slabs. It contained a large pool with an apse (natatio; 17.50 x 10.30 m.). After modifications during the reign of Hadrian it was clearly a bath, but the function of the earliest phase is unknown. It might then have been related to the adjacent sanctuary.
[1-May-2024]
