Name: Square Castan Archaeological Site
Rating: 2

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Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Square Castan Archaeological Site

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France

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Square Castan Archaeological Site

Recommended by 15 hikers

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Location: Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France

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Best Hikes to Square Castan Archaeological Site

4.6

(13)

116

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1. Citadelle de Vauban – Porte Rivotte loop from Besançon-Viotte

13.9km

03:49

210m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.8

(5)

hikers

2. Porte Rivotte – Citadelle de Vauban loop from Besançon-Viotte

19.7km

05:59

600m

Expert hike. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Expert

5.0

(5)

hikers

3. Saint-Maurice Church – Pont de Battant loop from Battant

5.29km

01:23

30m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

Tips

Scout Jens

June 6, 2024

It is a large, unidentified semi-circular ensemble which probably dates from the 2nd or 3rd century, at the time of the ancient Gallo-Roman city of Vesontio. This square is located not far from the Black Gate, an important witness to this period of the city.

On the site of this square, until the Revolution, stood the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church next to which was the city's first baptistery founded in the 4th century. It was the tribune Onnasius who attributed to Lin, bishop of Besançon in the 3rd century, a house on rue du Chapter, which was transformed into a baptistery (the waters of the Arcier basin, located nearby, were used to practice baptisms by immersion ). The Saint Lin baptistery successively became the capella primitiva (Sainte-Eugène) a canonical house and a private residence.

The Saint-Jean Baptiste church was disused from 1789, then destroyed between 1794 and 1797.

It was only in 1870 that the city's archaeologist and librarian Auguste Castan undertook excavations there. There he discovered eight Corinthian columns which were reassembled, the remains of the water distribution basin of the Arcier aqueduct (small town located 15 kilometers away) which supplied the city during the Roman era, and those of a hemicycle with an interior diameter close to 54 meters.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_Castan

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Ein 🐟 namens Wander

August 13, 2024

According to the inscription on the artistically designed stone column, there was once a theater on the square in ancient Vesontio - In addition to the archaeological features of this place, there are also tall trees that provide shade in the summer, as well as several benches.

The tourist information office offers guided tours of Besançon, with a focus on the city's ancient relics.

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Ben der Schweizer

May 28, 2023

Simply designed as a park, the scent of a theater still wafts through the ruins, just let your imagination run wild...

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Elevation 260 m

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Wednesday 17 September

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Max wind speed: 6.0 km/h

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Location: Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France

Square Castan Archaeological Site

1. Citadelle de Vauban – Porte Rivotte loop from Besançon-Viotte

2. Porte Rivotte – Citadelle de Vauban loop from Besançon-Viotte

3. Saint-Maurice Church – Pont de Battant loop from Battant

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