Cherré (archaeological site)

Cherré is the site of the archaeological excavation of a Gallo-Roman complex of 20 hectares from the 1st to the 3rd centuries A.D. It is situated in the town Aubigné-Racan, in the Sarthe département of western France, in the région Pays de la Loire.

The site, at the crossroads of the territories of the Andecavi, the Aulerci Cenomani, and the Turones, is initially a necropolis from the Hallstatt and then La Tène periods, comprising megaliths, tumuli, burials, and ritual weapon deposits. The necropolis is likely related to a fortified promontory located nearby. The Gallo-Roman complex, whose construction began towards the end of the 1st century, reached its peak in the 2nd and 3rd centuries and then extended over more than forty hectares. However, it does not appear to have been permanently occupied, as evidenced by the lack of clear traces of habitation or structured roadways. During this period, the Cherré complex is described as a "secondary agglomeration with predominantly religious functions", dedicated to the imperial cult or a warrior cult, serving as a place for seasonal, commercial, and religious gatherings. Its use ceased in the 4th century. Its monuments, thereafter abandoned, were used as a stone quarry for new constructions in the Middle Ages, particularly Romanesque churches. Its ruins, located on the right bank of the Loir River, were known as early as the beginning of the 18th century, but it was only formally identified as an ancient site in 1875, with in-depth studies beginning in the 1970s.

State-led excavations, undertaken in 1976 by Claude Lambert and Jean Rioufreyt and continued until 2006, uncovered the Hallstatt necropolis, an ancient theater with three thousand seats, a building possibly serving a dual purpose (forum and macellum), two temples, one of which is externally quite similar to the Maison Carrée in Nîmes, Roman baths, and an aqueduct supplying the entire site. Other buildings, whose functions are unknown, have been located but remain to be studied.

Cherré is a classified natural site since 1975. The theater was classified as a historic monument in 1982, and in 1991, all other remains were protected by listing. The site is owned by the Sarthe Departmental Council, which, since the second half of the 2000s, has been making improvements to facilitate access to the ancient ruins and provide better information to the public.