Exposition : Empreintes du Sacré

Temporary exhibition 2026: Footprints of the Sacred

In search of Gallic places of worship in Burgundy-Franche-Comté.

In our collective imagination, the beliefs of the Gauls are most often associated with Nature and the figure of the druid, sword in hand. Today's archaeology tells a very different story.

The last 30 years of archaeological research have revealed a different panorama, with places set aside for gatherings and preserving traces of ritual practices in the form of accumulations of objects.

Choosing a weapon, a piece of jewellery or a vase, sometimes breaking it, then depositing it in the ground in these reserved spaces, reveals preoccupations other than those of everyday life. Was it to honour a divinity, an ancestor, a chief or an event?

More than in any other region, archaeologists in Burgundy-Franche-Comté are compiling a wealth of information about these special sites. The ritual practices of the Gauls are becoming clearer, and the organisation of the spaces reserved for them is creating a truly sacred landscape.

This exhibition invites you to explore the lands of the Aedui, Sekan, Lingon and Mandubian peoples, in search of the material remains of these forgotten beliefs.