These diagrams are from the book by Riviere & Boumendil about Rennes-les-Bains. The top diagram i have added text to help visualise this corner of the village square!
Corresponding to numbers 5, 2 and 1 below.
Riviere & Boumendil label this the Capitolium (Temple) at RLB to the south of the village, dedicated to Jupiter, Junon and Minerve. Riviere & Boumendil suggest that the temple existedwith colonnades (columns) which were integrated into the south terrace area. This terrace was referred to and is next to the Maison Chaluleau. However, i do not know whether Riviere & Boumendil are basing their comments on the work of archaeologists.
It is also suggested that the RLB church was originally a Constantinienne church which replaced a pagan temple. Is this the route of the writings in Boudet's book? And what does it mean? That the church was built by someone from the Constantine family or was it built in the manner of the 'style' of a Constantinienne church?
“Dans sa maison de campagne au bord d’une ancienne voie romaine, Anne passe la dernière semaine des vacances".
The Capitolium is marked 2. Smack bang right next to Maison Chaluleau and on the Terrace [1]. The Forum is marked 3 - i.e. the place of the deux rennes .... 7 is the village church, which apparently have ancient walls that have been reused - but from where? The temple? 6 is marked as the ancient castrum .... where is found a large hole - circular and which has a well, dug in the ground to reach the underground aquifer ....
So, does this illustrate more about the quote in Cherisey's novel CIRCUIT - "Dans sa maison de campagne au bord d’une ancienne voie romaine, Anne passe la dernière semaine des vacances". Cherisey has moved back in time to the Roman life of the village? The soldiers (10th/7th legion) marching up the roman way - IE the principle axis - to the Capitolium. Is the 'scene' metaphorical - and just refers to the veteran soldiers who settled in the area? Or did an important Roman live in the area? I dont understand why the small village of Rennes-les-Bains - which was essentially a spa resort - would have had a fully active army marching through - when we know it was veteran land, i.e soldiers that had retired to the area.
At the end of the paragraph in CIRCUIT is the admonition 'HOC SIGNO ISTUM VINCES'. One wonders if it is the Emperor Constant which is the Grand Roman as it is said that a Constantinienne church replaced a pagan temple at Rennes-les-Bains.
I will also add that in the Riviere & Boumendil book he writes that the central place, the place which was the centre of the village, i.e the Forum has:
"ancient burials [which] were placed there [aperture] when working under the big square [grand place/Forum]"
Does this mean when the ancient Romans built the south end of the village - they placed burials there - or that there were more ancient burials underneath that *they* found? Is this Cherisey's necropolis then?
