The pillar of Yzeures-sur-Creuse is an ancient monumental column constructed from Jurassic limestone with shell inclusions. Some remnants were discovered in and near the foundations of the former church of the French commune of Yzeures-sur-Creuse, in Indre-et-Loire in 1895.
The reconstruction of the parish church of Notre Dame, which started in 1895, led to the discovery of numerous ancient stone blocks and some Merovingian sarcophagi in the foundation trenches. Among the nearly one hundred blocks unearthed during the initial works (1895) and subsequent excavations (1896), twenty-one were identified as undoubtedly belonging to a monumental pillar. The blocks are organized into three levels of bas-relief sculptures representing Roman deities and Greek heroes, likely topped by a now-lost statue. The recovered elements suggest a monument about nine meters high, probably built in the early 3rd century in honor of the emperor through allegorical representations. The pillar is likely part of a complex of monuments and cult buildings that also includes at least one temple, possibly dedicated to Minerva, as evidenced by an epigraphy, and an altar, all belonging to a still unidentified secondary settlement. The site's religious function continued into the Early Middle Ages with the construction of a Merovingian church that reused elements of the ancient monuments in its foundations.
The preserved blocks of Yzeures-sur-Creuse, which were listed as protected objects in 1896 and integrated into the Palissy base in 1992, have been on display since 1972 at the Minerva Museum, which is situated in the same commune as the excavation site where the blocks were discovered. In 1972, the pillar-related artifacts were subjected to a comprehensive examination; in 2014, they were integrated into a broader investigation of all the lapidary remains of Yzeures-sur-Creuse.
Discovery and chronology of studies
Fortuitous discovery and excavations
In 1894, a decision was made to demolish the 12th-century church of Yzeures-sur-Creuse, which was in disrepair and too small to accommodate the congregation. The decision was made to rebuild on a different site. The excavation started in 1895,: Découverte et historique des recherches uncovering and removing about ten sculpted blocks, which appeared to serve as foundations for a building measuring 10 × 5 meters. This vanished building may have been a Merovingian church as referenced by Gregory of Tours. Additional blocks were discovered in the trenches but temporarily retained in situ.: Découverte et historique des recherches Camille de La Croix posited that these blocks appeared to delineate the location of this church.
In November 1895, the Archaeological Society of Touraine (SAT) and its president, Louis-Auguste Bosseboeuf, were informed of the discovery of the ruins of Sanxay. Father Camille de La Croix, the discoverer of the ruins, conducted excavations from February 10 to 22, 1896, along the southern wall and the facade of the old nave. He identified approximately 85 or 95 blocks, extracted and stored haphazardly in the presbytery garden, but no records or in situ drawings were made. However, Father de La Croix took approximately one hundred photos of the blocks once extracted, which are currently held in the departmental archives of Vienne. He also created numerous drawings, which appear to have been lost. In 1896, Charles Normand published a rough plan of the location of the remains based on de La Croix's indications.: Yzeures-sur-Creuse: une probable agglomération secondaire Octave de Rochebrune, who examined the remains that year, attributed them to a temple he considered "the largest temple in Gaul." He proposed reconstructing the facade in a "classic" Roman temple with eight columns, with the sculpted stones serving as bases for some of the pronaos columns, and topped with a triangular pediment.: Histoire des découvertes: des sociétés savantes au xxie siècle
A controversy arose between Bosseboeuf and La Croix regarding their respective roles in the discovery and interpretation of the blocks, which were associated with several buildings, including a monumental pillar, a fanum-type temple with a polygonal cella, and an altar associated with one of the former. Three blocks (out of five probable ones) permitted the reconstruction of a monumental inscription (dedication to Minerva), which does not seem to relate to the pillar itself but more likely to the temple.: Découverte et historique des recherches Father de La Croix provided a detailed account of his disagreements with the SAT in a memoir he sent in 1896 to several scientific authorities, including the Committee for Historic and Scientific Works. He asserted that he undertook the excavations only due to SAT's inaction. In contrast, the SAT stated that it intended to carry out the work and had allocated funds for this purpose. However, this was not possible due to an agreement between Father de La Croix and the municipality of Yzeures. Father de La Croix was repeatedly referred to as a "foreign archaeologist", alluding to his Belgian nationality.
In 1911, Émile Espérandieu photographed the blocks and published his photographs along with drawings he had made. The blocks were left in their original state, under a simple shelter, without further study or observation, until the late 1960s. It appears that about ten or twenty (depending on the initial count) of the blocks extracted by Father de La Croix have since been lost. These were likely large, undecorated brickwork, which, according to archaeologists and historians, reduces the archaeological significance of the loss.: Présentation générale des vestiges lapidaires
First study of the pillar blocks during their relocation
In 1970, the blocks had to be relocated due to a street that was going to be created along the south of the church nave. From 1970 to 1972, the remains attributed to the pillar were meticulously studied by archaeologist Jean-Pierre Adam, coinciding with the establishment of a local museum of ancient archaeology, founded in 1972 at the initiative of Gilbert Charles-Picard, with the intention of housing and showcasing them.
Until the 2010s, despite the lack of further in-depth studies of the blocks of Yzeures, several publications reiterated the results obtained by Adam.
Museum renovation and study of all lapidary deposits The elements of the pillar, which were protected in 1896, have been included in the Palissy base since 1992. They are currently on display at the Minerva Museum in Yzeures-sur-Creuse, which was constructed near the garden where the blocks were stored after their discovery.: Introduction
In 2014, a restoration of all the blocks on display at the museum was undertaken, accompanied by a meticulous study. It became evident that some blocks had been erroneously assembled in 1972 at the museum, which may have impeded their detailed examination.: Un temple polygonal The investigations encompassed all the blocks in the Yzeures museum, including the pillar (21 or 25 blocks), temple (24 blocks), altar (2 blocks), and dedication (3 blocks). Thirteen large, undecorated blocks could not be associated with any of these monuments in the current state of knowledge. The results of these investigations suggest that the Yzeures monuments should be integrated into a secondary settlement.: Les monuments romains d'Yzeures-sur-Creuse (37) This aligns with recent investigations on the ancient site of Gué-de-Sciaux in Antigny, which are comparable in some aspects to Yzeures.: Histoire des découvertes: des sociétés savantes au xxie siècle In addition, the museum's layout was revised to correct the block assembly errors, improve the presentation of the remains, and enhance visitor information.
Potential future discoveries In 1895, the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame church was carried out without affecting the base of the north wall of the medieval nave, which was reused in the new building.: Histoire des découvertes: des sociétés savantes au xxie siècle Given the lack of surveys that permit the precise location of the Merovingian church relative to later buildings, numerous historians hypothesize that in the intact foundations of this wall, which may overlap with that of the Merovingian church, other ancient blocks reused from the Yzeures monuments may be found. Some even suggest that only 50% of the blocks have been discovered.
Description
General appearance of the monument Among the numerous blocks unearthed during the excavation, 21 have been identified as belonging to a monumental column or pillar.
However, Louis-Auguste Bosseboeuf and Octave de Rochebrune do not mention the hypothesis of a pillar and attribute all the sculpted blocks to the temple. Émile Espérandieu correctly identifies a pillar, but in 1912, in the Revue archéologique and on a suggestion by Franz Cumont, proposes a reconstruction that is not considered very credible by Henry Auvray in the 1930s. This hypothesis is distinct from that proposed by Jean-Pierre Adam. Adam's reconstruction, proposed in 1972, is more aligned with the available evidence and suggests that the column, estimated to be nine meters high, consists of a bare base, three tiers of sculpted blocks with successive setbacks, and is topped by a now-missing monumental statue. This interpretation concludes that the pillar takes the form of a very elongated step pyramid.: Le "pilier d'Yzeures-sur-Creuse" ou pilier votif à Jupiter The stylistic differences between the various levels of decoration indicate that multiple sculpting workshops were simultaneously producing the pillar's different tiers.
The transition from one tier of decorated blocks to another may be marked by cornices, decorated or plain, as observed in similar monuments. Four sculpted elements could be attributed to one such cornice, resulting in 25 preserved elements of the pillar.: Complément à la restitution du pilier In addition to their aesthetic value, these cornices protect the blocks immediately below from rainwater runoff.: Un temple polygonal
The rock used, homogeneous from one block to the next, is a locally extracted (Upper Jurassic) oolitic limestone of such hardness that some inclusions (fossils, flint nodules) remained in place, in relief, within the sculptures. Similar rock quarries, used for making Merovingian sarcophagi, exist in Angles-sur-l'Anglin or near Saint-Pierre-de-Maillé. The relatively poor quality of the base material needed to apply a lime wash to the monument's faces for leveling purposes.: Pierre et polychromie The paint traces observed on the pillar indicate the presence of a polychrome decoration, comparable to that of the Igel mausoleum. A painted replica of this pillar, based on the original's remains, is on display at the Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier.
Iconography of the decor
Base: Layers of bare stone The proposed reconstruction by Jean-Pierre Adam depicts a base comprising four layers of non-sculpted blocks, constructed with successive setbacks in a square plan and reaching a total height of about 1.70 meters. Among the thirteen non-sculpted blocks that have been preserved, none can be definitively attributed to this base.
First level: Four major deities The initial level of sculptures is square in plan, measuring 1.73 meters on each side and reaching a height of 1.85 meters (the only level whose height can be confirmed with certainty). Twelve identified blocks are attached to this level. It comprises three layers of superimposed blocks.: Premier niveau: "une gigantesque pierre à quatre dieux" Each face is decorated with pilasters bearing scrollwork. This level depicts four deities, one on each face.: Description du premier niveau: "une gigantesque pierre à quatre dieux"