In the footsteps of the ancient city of Thérouanne

My name is Tervanna and I’d been asleep for some time… But a loud commotion roused me from my slumber. A building has been erected right in the center of Thérouanne, using techniques that are, my goodness, rather surprising: it’s risen out of the ground at breakneck speed! And inside are lots of objects that once belonged to me, from other eras… Reviewing these tools and even these models makes me want to tell you my story!

Live my glorious past

I was born a very long time ago, as evidenced by these Gallo-Roman pieces on display here.

You should have seen the atmosphere in Thérouanne, or rather Tervanna, back in those days! Look at this pottery, these vases… The town was a strong trading place, you could find everything.

Here, I remember very well this perfume vial, there, in the window. And aren’t these plates magnificent? But take a look at this model of a Gallo-Roman house, you’ll understand better how people lived back then.

It’s such a good place to live in Thérouanne that religious people made no mistake about it, they quickly moved here.

What a pity you didn’t see the cathedral! A magnificent Gothic monument that stood at the entrance to the city. Not to mention the episcopal palace, the bishops’ residence… Great personalities passed through here in the Middle Ages!

And every day, you’d come across groups of pilgrims passing through Thérouanne. Life was pleasant, with merchants and craftsmen: just look at this thimble and this draper’s lead!

House of Archaeology Museum Thérouanne (1)

House of Archaeology Museum Thérouanne (24)

Today, I'm a museum

Now, all that remains of this period are these unearthed objects, plans and models… What a shame! Everything was destroyed during the siege of 1553. Now, that really wasn’t a pleasant time. Just look at these grenades or this video and listen to the soundtrack to get the feel of those times.

We paid dearly for our strategic location! Only a few buildings like the chapel at Nielles-les-Thérouanne survived the siege.

Then, it’s true, we rebuilt… But I’ve never seen Gallo-Roman villas or an episcopal palace again! The people here have organized a quiet, pleasant little life for themselves.

The town has become an extraordinary playground for archaeologists, who have been going from discovery to discovery for over a century, unearthing treasures…

And it’s thanks to them that you can now admire these sometimes thousand-year-old pieces in this house of archaeology!

Discover the House of Archaeology

Discover my archeological site

It’s even possible to visit the former site of Thérouanne Cathedral through guided tours of the archaeological excavation site upstream from the Maison de l’Archéologie.