Discovery of High Middle Ages Necropolis during Preventive Excavations for Future Bus Express Construction in Bordeaux

Preventive excavations started at the end of 2022 by the construction site of the future Bus expresshad revealed a necropolis from the High Middle Ages near the Saint-Seurin basilica. Thirty sarcophagi and fifty skeletons had been discovered on the Place des Martyrs-de-la-Résistance a…

Preventive excavations started at the end of 2022 by the construction site of the future Bus express had revealed a necropolis from the High Middle Ages near the Saint-Seurin basilica. Thirty sarcophagi and fifty skeletons were discovered on the Place des Martyrs-de-la-Résistance one month after the start of the work carried out by the preventive archeology service of Bordeaux Métropole.

At the end of 2024, the high-level service bus will connect the station to Saint-Aubin-de-Médoc. And the route will pass on the square before going up towards Mériadeck by the rue du Château d’eau.

Under the eyes of passers-by, two meters deep, the work continues, the discoveries of sarcophagi and skeletons too. After working on the half-carriageway and the northern service road until the end of March, the diggers have been concentrating since mid-April on the southern half-carriageway towards rue Judaïque. This is expected to last until June 23.

Limestone sarcophagi

According to Bordeaux Métropole, “the discoveries are a continuation of the remains unearthed previously, namely a habitat from the ancient period probably dating from the I^is – III^e centuries of our era. This habitat was then completely abandoned and reinvested in funerary space, which is often the case for ancient ruins. The oldest burials date back to the IV^e – V^e centuries of our era. The burials will then continue until the 16th^e century approximately. The main funerary occupation in this sector remains the alto-medieval period with limestone sarcophagi dating back to the VI^e – VIII^e centuries. The excavations and stripping just starting, we are not immune to new discoveries”.

The nearby basilica, a Romanesque building from the 11th^e century, is the cradle of Christianity in Bordeaux. Located outside the foothills of the first Burdigala, a stone’s throw from the ancient amphitheater Palais Gallien, it was established on a necropolis from the end of Antiquity. Old plans attest to the size of the collegiate church and the vast cemetery around it.