In Gallo-Roman religion , Sequana is the goddess of the river Seine , particularly the springs at the source of the Seine . Although the origins of the goddess are Celtic, Sequana was subsequently integrated into a Gallo-Roman regional cult of worship after the Roman conquest of Gaul . The main sites dedicated to her are found in northern Burgundy, especially at the source of the Seine, where archeological excavations have unearthed a temple complex and over a thousand votive offerings.
18-677: The cult of Sequana is closely linked to a primary element: water . Indeed, the sacredness of water is central to the veneration of Sequana, who was also a goddess of healing. The main sanctuary was located at the principal source of the Seine River, near the town of Châtillon-sur-Seine in the Burgundy region. These springs are called the Fontes Sequanae (the Springs of Sequana). Thanks to archeological excavations conducted from 1836 to 1967, it
36-410: A "grand plan, executed in a space about 300 feet [91 meters] long." This complex consisted of a long building with seven rooms that were probably used by officiating priests. In addition, farther "to the north, a monumental entryway of four pillars led the pilgrims into a long courtyard. The eastern side of the courtyard was occupied by a covered colonnade that sheltered a porch.... At the northern end of
54-564: A clue to the pronunciation of Sequana in Gaulish (CIL 13, 02863): As Gaulish is in the P-Celtic classification, q cannot represent the Indo-European k . Something like Sek-ooana is more likely, unless the local dialect was Q-Celtic (which is not impossible). Cult (religious practice) Cult is the care ( Latin : cultus ) owed to deities and temples, shrines, or churches. Cult
72-654: A total of 13 inscriptions, of which at least nine specifically name the goddess. The inscriptions also shed of some light on religious practices at the site. One inscription notes the presence of a sacerdoce Augusti , a priest of the imperial cult dedicated to the worship of the Roman emperors. Mentions of Auguste are common, but often incomprehensible to modern readers. In addition, it would seem that some pilgrims were not well educated or spoke imperfect Latin because many inscriptions are awkwardly formulated. The study also shows an additional mention of Sequana in an inscription found in
90-406: Is embodied in ritual and ceremony . Its presence or former presence is made concrete in temples , shrines and churches , and cult images , including votive offerings at votive sites . Cicero defined religio as cultus deorum , "the cultivation of the gods". The "cultivation" necessary to maintain a specific deity was that god's cultus , "cult", and required "the knowledge of giving
108-531: Is necessary for a cult to be enacted, to be practiced. In the Catholic Church , outward religious practice in cultus is the technical term for Roman Catholic devotions or veneration extended to a particular saint , not to the worship of God. Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox Church make a major distinction between latria , the worship that is offered to God alone, and dulia , which
126-603: Is nothing other than the cultus of God ." The term "cult" first appeared in English in 1617, derived from the French culte , meaning " worship " which in turn originated from the Latin word cultus meaning "care, cultivation, worship". The meaning "devotion to a person or thing" is from 1829. Starting about 1920, "cult" acquired an additional six or more positive and negative definitions. In French, for example, sections in newspapers giving
144-450: Is now possible to trace the physical development of the sanctuary. In the 2nd or 1st century BCE, a healing shrine was built by the Gauls consisting of a "simple square chamber, presumably housing a figure of the goddess, surrounded by an open porch where worshippers could assemble." Around AD 50, a masonry channel was built that fed a catchment area. Next, additional buildings were built following
162-499: Is of such importance to the city. Under the impetus of Baron Haussmann , the city created the park the following year and erected an artificial cave intended to protect the site. Also placed within the source itself was a statue of Sequana by the Dijon sculptor François Jouffroy . The original, severely damaged by the elements, was replaced in 1934 by a copy executed by Paul Auban. An analysis of inscriptions found at Sequana's sanctuary show
180-575: Is often translated as "cult" without the negative connotations the word may have in English, or with the Old English word " worship ", but it implies the necessity of active maintenance beyond passive adoration. Cultus was expected to matter to the gods as a demonstration of respect, honor, and reverence; it was an aspect of the contractual nature of Roman religion (see do ut des ). Augustine of Hippo echoes Cicero's formulation when he declares, " religion
198-457: The courtyard three steps led down to the spring, the channel from the spring and the catchment basin." Evidence found during the excavations shows that devotees went on pilgrimages to this sanctuary in order to solicit Sequana's help to restore health or to thank her for past assistance. Arriving at the sanctuary, the pilgrims gave votive offerings to accompany their solicitations. It has been possible to identify from inscriptions on these offerings
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#1732851573780216-523: The divine intervention of the goddess. Pilgrims were also frequently depicted in the small sculptures as carrying offerings to the goddess, including money, fruit, or a favourite pet dog or bird. The excavation findings include: The 1,500 votive offerings tell us something about the sanctuary and its pilgrims. Based on the body parts depicted in the offerings, respiratory illnesses and eye diseases appear to have been common. The archeological evidence shows that many of these offerings were mass produced, so that
234-418: The gods their due" (scientia colendorum deorum) . The noun cultus originates from the past participle of the verb colo, colere, colui, cultus , "to tend, take care of, cultivate", originally meaning "to dwell in, inhabit" and thus "to tend, cultivate land (ager) ; to practice agriculture", an activity fundamental to Roman identity even when Rome as a political center had become fully urbanized. Cultus
252-427: The sanctuary may have hosted a bustling commerce in ex votos . The large number of offerings found during the excavations suggests that pilgrims were numerous. Archeologists also believe, based on the inscriptions, that oracles were offered at the site, either by Sequana herself or by invoking her. A bronze statue of a woman, draped in a long gown and with a diadem on her head, represents Sequana. The statue
270-672: The schedule of worship for Catholic services are headed Culte Catholique , while the section giving the schedule of Protestant services is headed culte réformé . In the specific context of the Greek hero cult , Carla Antonaccio wrote: The term cult identifies a pattern of ritual behavior in connection with specific objects, within a framework of spatial and temporal coordinates. Rituals would include (but not necessarily be limited to) prayer, sacrifice, votive offerings, competitions, processions and construction of monuments. Some degree of recurrence in place and repetition over time of ritual action
288-460: The social roles of a few of the visitors to the sanctuary. They include a slave, a male 'citizen' and several women (including four 'pilgrims' and a female 'citizen'). The excavations unearthed some 1,500 stone, bronze, and wood votive offerings, many of them depicting body parts such as eyes, limbs, sexual organs and internal organs. Archeologists hypothesize that these votive offerings depicted injuries or illnesses that would hopefully be cured through
306-692: The village of Salmaise . The list below reproduces selected inscriptions from an inventory of Gallo-Roman inscriptions collected by the Commission de Topographie des Gaules under Napoleon III and housed in the Archeological Museum of Strasbourg. The identification numbers refer to their placement within the collection, the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum. The following are typical inscriptions (CIL 13, 02858): and (CIL 13, 02862): Some inscriptions contain spelling errors that may give
324-498: Was found with that of a faun in 1933 by Henri Corot. The goddess stands on a boat, the prow of which is in the form of the head of a duck with a ball in its mouth. The approximately 1 foot (30 cm) tall statue is now in the Musée archéologique de Dijon . In 1864, the city of Paris bought the land surrounding the source of the Seine in order to build a park that would honour the river that
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