The ancient baths of Alauna are a Gallo-Roman thermal complex located in the French commune of Valognes in the north of Manche.
North of the ancient city of Alauna, now covered by pastures and hedgerows of the Norman bocage in the 21st century, the baths are situated near a road considered the cardo maximus. It is believed that they were constructed in the latter part of the first century and fell out of use two centuries later. The masonry of the baths was repurposed over time, but the site saw some reinvestment towards the end of the Middle Ages. The baths of Alauna exhibit a symmetrical architecture, featuring identical rooms on both sides of an axis, placing them in the category of baths with a symmetrical plan, similar to the Baths of Nero, albeit on a smaller scale (1,225 m2).
The remains, still partially standing at about twelve meters, have been a part of the landscape since antiquity. In the late 17th century, they were officially recognized as the ruins of an ancient thermal establishment. The site was completely excavated in the early 1990s, and its plan was fully restored before being developed into an archaeological garden. Recent studies are uncovering probable annex buildings near the complex.
The baths of Alauna have been protected as a historical monument since 1862.
Geography and archaeological context
The baths in the contemporary landscape
Alauna is situated 1.6 km southeast of the modern town of Alleaume (commune of Valognes, Manche department). It is on the northwest edge of a plateau between two parallel thalwegs running northwest, which border it to the east and west. The thermal complex is situated at the eastern end of Rue du Balnéaire, outside the main built-up area of Alleaume and to the southeast of the settlement. It is located on the slope of the left bank of the Merderet valley, with the towns of Valognes and Alleaume on the opposite side of the river.
The depression through which the Merderet River flows is partially filled with Hettangian deposits (Early Jurassic) as a result of a marine transgression that encroached upon the western edge of the Paris Basin. Local geological materials such as red clays, sands, gravel, and Rhaetian pebbles (Late Triassic) from the plateau, as well as Jurassic limestone from the slopes, are utilized in the construction of buildings in Alauna, including the baths.
The baths within Alauna
The baths are situated near the northwest boundary of the ancient city of Alauna. While most of the Alauna site is at an altitude above 50 m, reaching up to 60 m near the ancient theatre, the other part follows the slope of the valley on slopes descending towards the Merderet River, sometimes reaching a 10% gradient. The baths are constructed almost at the base of the plateau, at an altitude of 38 m, occupying the lowest point of the ancient city. It appears that the main road running through Alauna from south to north (cardo maximus) served the baths before continuing north towards the Cotentin Peninsula to Fermanville and/or Cherbourg.
The baths and spectacles in the eastern part of the ancient city are the known monumental structures discovered through excavations. Additionally, a forum in the center and several sanctuaries are confirmed to have existed. The central area of the city was densely populated, with craftwork being prominent on the outskirts. Recent findings indicate that Alauna was a larger city than previously believed, potentially housing a population of 3,000 to 4,000 residents. The presence of a small thermal establishment north of the city raises questions about the existence of a larger complex, possibly located at the northeast corner of the cardo maximus and decumanus maximus. Excavations in 1695 and 1981 (revealed evidence of tubuli and a tiled floor, suggesting the presence of a balneum, either private or public) in that area.
History
The site in Antiquity and the Middle Ages
The baths are situated on a plot that was originally surrounded by ditches, which were partially filled in for the construction. On the site, a brick kiln, a well, and another masonry structure of unknown purpose were found. These findings are believed to date back to the early Roman period and may be associated with the construction of the baths. There is no evidence of prior occupation on the site.
The construction of the baths in Alauna likely took place in the second half of the 1st century, around 60 to 80 AD, during the city's development and expansion phase when its main monuments were being built. This early construction period aligns with the broader trend of bath development in Gaul during the early Antonine dynasty (98-192 AD). Unlike other thermal establishments, the Alauna complex did not undergo significant modifications over time. Latrines were added against the western wall near the water inlet, and an external pool may have been attached to the same room, but the exact dates of these additions are unknown. By the end of the 3rd century, the baths fell into disuse, and their masonry was gradually dismantled and repurposed in new constructions over the following centuries, reflecting the overall decline of the city of Alauna during that period.
The site remained inactive until the end of the Middle Ages when a hamlet was built there. Some of its buildings were supported by the westernmost walls of the baths, while the recovery of stones continued on the rest of the structure, up to the extraction of the foundation blocks. These demolition materials were reused on-site for new constructions. This phase of "differentiated reuse" explains the distribution of the preserved remains in elevation in modern times, protected from destruction by their inclusion in other buildings that were later destroyed.
Historical mentions and contemporary studies
In 1688, Louis Le Vavasseur de Masseville reported the tradition of an ancient city at the site of Alleaume, mentioning the "old castle of Vallongnes," sometimes attributed to Clovis. In 1695, Nicolas-Joseph Foucault, the intendant of the generalité of Caen, commissioned excavations at the site. The Jesuit Pierre-Joseph Dunod, who supervised the works, identified the ruins as an ancient bathhouse, not a castle. However, a plan published by Bernard de Montfaucon in 1722 erroneously depicts the baths of Vieux-la-Romaine instead. Despite a correction by de Montfaucon, some authors, including Jean-Louis Adam in 1905, adopted the incorrect plan. It was not until 1953 that Albert Grenier highlighted the importance of this correction, which had previously gone unnoticed.
In the seventh volume of his Collection of Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, and Gallic Antiquities, Anne Claude de Caylus published accurate drawings and partial plans of the baths in 1765, created by the engineer René Cevet. In 1772 and 1773, the owner of the baths' plot began demolishing the ruins using explosives and artillery. Only the walls that were still in good condition resisted and were mostly preserved, while other parts of the structure (such as floors, hypocausts of the heated rooms, and poorly preserved walls) were destroyed.
In the 19th century, the ruins no longer reminded many residents of ancient Roman baths; only the name Vieux-Château (Old Castle) remained. Charles de Gerville resumed excavations in the early 1840s and documented the destruction from the previous century by comparing his findings to old plans. He discovered traces of the aqueduct that supplied the baths. The Normandy Antiquarian Society continued Gerville's work at Alleaume in 1845 but was unable to access the baths due to the landowner's restrictions. The remains of the thermal establishment have been safeguarded as historical monuments since their classification in 1862.
The baths, along with the entire archaeological site, were spared from the intensive bombings that devastated Valognes in June 1944 during the Normandy campaign. It was not until 1954 to 1968 that new surveys were carried out on the monument, and the remains were then stabilized. Between 1989 and 1992, at the request of the municipality of Valognes to prepare for the site's enhancement, the baths underwent complete excavation, their layout was finalized, and their timeline was clarified.
In 2020, as part of the multi-year and multidisciplinary study program of Alauna initiated in 2012 under the coordination of the National Centre for Scientific Research, the University of Caen-Normandy, and the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research, the immediate environment of the baths underwent ground-penetrating radar exploration.
Remains and enhancement The visible remnants, reaching up to 12 metres in height, belong to three rooms situated in the southwest of the building: a tepidarium, an unctorium, and a sudatorium. Additionally, the base of several other walls and the traces of trenches dug to uncover their foundations enable the reconstruction of the layout of the complex. The baths of Alauna, together with the ancient theatre of Lillebonne, are the sole Roman-era structures in Normandy that have been preserved in elevation.
In the 21st century, the restored baths site has been transformed into an archaeological garden that is open to the public. It serves as the starting point for guided tours organized by the Agglomération antique d'Alauna (Ancient Agglomeration of Alauna Association or AAA) in partnership with the Clos du Cotentin Art and History Region, especially during the European Heritage Days.
Description
The actus quadratus The baths cover an area of 1,225 m2 and are located within a square measuring 36.5 m on each side, corresponding precisely to an actus quadratus (120 Roman feet on each side). This area is divided into three modules from north to south and four modules from east to west. The estimated height of the baths is 12 m, which is one-third of an actus. The tallest remaining structures measure 12 m, indicating the maximum height of the baths. The width of the outer walls of the thermal complex is also determined by this principle, measuring 1.20 m, equivalent to 4 Roman feet, or one-thirtieth of an actus.
Symmetrical plan baths
The rooms are symmetrically arranged around a central axis, starting from the east with a cold plunge pool in the apse, a frigidarium, a caldarium featuring an octagonal hot pool measuring 7.30 meters wide and 1 meter deep, and a sudatorium. Flanking this axis are identical rooms: apodyterium (changing room), unctorium (treatment room), and tepidarium. This layout follows the pattern of "symmetrical plan baths," a design concept first seen in the Baths of Nero constructed in Rome between 62 and 64 AD, which aligns with the presumed construction date of the baths of Alauna. Visitors access and exit the facility through the two apodyteria located on the eastern side of the complex, facing the nearby road.
The decision to replicate specific rooms likely serves the purpose of adjusting the bath's capacity based on usage rather than segregating men and women, who will ultimately convene at the pools and sudatorium, shared spaces. Additionally, this approach enables the maintenance of a portion of the complex, a project that may span several months without entirely disrupting its operation.
Optimized architecture
Natural topography exploited to the full