About an hour from Paris, a valley in Val-d’Oise hides an ancient setting that hasn’t finished telling its story. In Genainville, the Gallo-Roman sanctuary of Vaux-de-la-Celle offers a rare glimpse into the Île-de-France’s past on the occasion of the Journées de l’archéologie, organized this year on the weekend of June 12–14, 2026.
The principle is simple: make archaeology more accessible by inviting the public to discover the professions, the research methods, the excavated sites and the objects that help us better understand ancient societies. The Vaux-de-la-Celle site, for its part, has plenty to intrigue. Nestled in Genainville, in the Vexin français, it preserves monumental remains of an ancient Gallo-Roman settlement. Discovered in 1935 and designated ass Monuments historiques, it continues to be studied by archaeologists today.
Its story goes back well before Roman times: the valley later served as a necropolis in the Iron Age. Then, in the second half of the 2nd century AD, a religious and public complex sprang up around a large temple, a theatre-type building, and water-related spaces. The sanctuary features a temple with two cellae, sacred chambers where the deities were worshipped. The site is believed to be linked with Mercury and Rosmerta, a Gaulish goddess associated with abundance.
Among its features, the site also includes basins likely used for ritual purposes, painted decorations that mimic marble, and a performance complex that fuses theater seating with an amphitheater arena—a layout seen in the northern regions of Gaul. Taken together, these elements underscore the site’s central role in the religious, social, and cultural life of the ancient territory.
Today, the Vaux-de-la-Celle is the focus of research, conservation and outreach, in collaboration with the Musée archéologique du Val d’Oise, which preserves a substantial portion of the furnishings unearthed on site. Its mission: to share this history with the public, while supporting the scientific work that continues to bring the stones, carved fragments and recovered objects to life.
Visites guidées gratuites du site archéologique, commentées par les archéologues qui y fouillent.
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Dates and Opening Time
From June 12, 2026 to June 14, 2026
Location
Gallo-Roman Sanctuary of Vaux-de-la-Celle
Rue de Champagne
95420 Genainville
Official website
apsage.fr
