Deneuvre has given us the most important sanctuary of sources dedicated to Hercules in the Roman West. Guided tours will make you relive the experience of a pilgrim of the fourth century!

Of all the discoveries made by the excavations at Deneuvre since 1868, one is particularly remarkable: a sanctuary of springs dedicated to Hercules. Only two have been discovered in France, the other in Glanum. More than its rarity, it is the number of representations of the god that makes this site exceptional. No less than a hundred steles, whole or fragmented, have been brought to light.
It is by chance that we owe this find. In 1974, a farmer wants to dig a well, he uses a seeker who tells him where to drill. What was not their surprise when at a depth of about 1.50m they hit a huge “stone” that will prove to be the base of a 1800-year-old column.
This was followed by 12 years of excavations, which ended in 1986. Meanwhile the steles, basins, columns and all the furniture extracted from the site had taken place in a temporary museum installed in the former presbytery of the commune. A shrine of such importance deserved better to be presented to the general public and it was decided to build a building entirely dedicated to receive the museum «The Sources of Hercules».
Since its inauguration in 1996 by the Minister of Culture, it presents on a surface of 400m² a restitution of the sanctuary as it was in the middle of the 4th century. It now allows its visitors to set foot in the footsteps of their distant ancestors who came a long time ago to honor Hercules who may perhaps consent, as 18 centuries ago to grant their wishes.