Vertault is home to two very different historical highlights: the Gallo-Roman settlement of Vertillum on a plateau and the Église Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, with architectural elements from several centuries. The archaeological site is set up for self-guided visits along a path with information panels. Visitors planning a trip here can focus on the visible remains of the ancient town, local history or the church’s architecture.
The archaeological site of Vertillum
The site lies on a plateau at an altitude of 355 metres. Visible features include the remains of Roman baths and a temple, numerous underground structures and remnants of the fortification walls. Information panels along the path help visitors find their way around and explain the various traces. The Oppidum de Vertillum is classified as an archaeological site and oppidum; it has been protected as a Monument historique since 1875.
The layout also gives an idea of the size of the ancient town. It resembles a Roman grid: a main street, the Cardo, is crossed by perpendicular streets. Vertillum was the most important Gallo-Roman town in the Châtillonnais and stood at the crossroads of ancient routes linking Sens, Langres and Autun. The town was abandoned at the end of antiquity. This sequence—urban development, transport links and eventual decline—places the visible architectural remains in a broader historical context.
Vertault and the Circuit de Beauregard
The Circuit de Beauregard takes in several aspects of the surrounding area along its route: it crosses the Laigne, passes through Vertault and climbs to the archaeological site of Vertillum. At the entrance to Vertillum, the route leaves the paved road and follows a path that descends into the forest. This makes it different from the self-guided walk around the archaeological site: it also includes the village, the river crossing and the transition from paved road to forest path.
The Église Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens
The church adds architectural and artistic history from later periods to the archaeological highlights. Parts of its walls date from the 12th century; the nave was built in the Neoclassical style between 1782 and 1783. A Renaissance fresco was discovered beneath a layer of plaster in the south transept. The building thus brings together medieval sections of wall, a later nave and a rediscovered work of the Renaissance.
The church also contains two polychrome limestone works from the second half of the 16th century: a group depicting Saint Anthony of Padua and a statue of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The depiction of Catherine includes a wooden wheel of martyrdom. Together with the different phases of construction, these works offer another reason to consider the church a historical highlight of Vertault.
Archaeological collections
The Musée du Pays Châtillonnais – Trésor de Vix preserves archaeological remains excavated at Vertillum. Its collection also includes more than 300 tools from various trades, including construction, pottery, glassmaking, shoemaking, weaving, metalworking and boneworking.
Discover more destinations: La Motte-Ternant, Oigny, Channay, Bessey-En-Chaume, Vignoles, Châtillon-Sur-Seine, Gerland, Saint-Seine-Sur-Vingeanne.
See the main travel guide: Cote-Dor.
