History
article | Reading time6 min
Discover this exceptional collection of ancient mosaics! No fewer than 8 mosaics can be admired on special tours! Visible in the Villa Lassalles and the Chapelle de la Hillère, these luxurious productions bear witness to the splendor of the inhabitants of Antiquity. These mosaics bear witness to the privileged society of 4th-century Montmaurin.
Mosaics to discover on a tour
At the Villa Lassalles, mosaics still cover the floors. One can be seen in the south triclinium, a dining room, while another is in a cubicula, a room off the summer apartments.
At the villa de la Hillère, the mosaics were discovered by Abbé Couret and removed in 1951. They were exhibited in the Montmaurin municipal museum before being restored in 2020 and re-presented in the Notre-Dame de la Hillère chapel, in the immediate vicinity of the villa site.
David Bordes / Centre des monuments nationaux
Aquitaine style", a local trademark
These productions can be likened to the "Aquitaine style ", with characteristics found in many villas in the south of France, such as the villa at Loupian (Hérault) or the villa at Séviac (Gers). The motifs are mainly geometric or plant-based. Geometric shapes, rosettes and intertwining patterns make up the mosaics. The design is polychrome, combining tesserae in specific colors: white, black, gray, brown, pink... The materials used are local, such as St Béat marble.
To see these mosaics, take part in a tour organized by the Montmaurin archaeological site and museum teams!
Ludovic Fortin-TIMEDIA / Centre des monuments nationaux