Mausoleum of Lanuéjols

The mausoleum of Lanuéjols is a Gallo-Roman funerary monument located in the commune of Lanuéjols, in the French Department of Lozère (Occitania region). It was built on the model of a mausoleum-temple in the second half of the 2nd century AD by a wealthy family, probably of Syrian origin, and who certainly lived nearby. Dedicated to the memory of two of the family's sons, it is also known as the "Mausolée des Pomponii", after the wealthy family, and in Occitan as "Lou Mazelet". Although this is the best-known monument in Lanuéjols, it is part of a funerary complex that also includes an altar, in front of which funerary or commemorative ceremonies were probably held, and a third, non-visible building, probably even larger than the Pomponii mausoleum, which may have been the parents' tomb. The mausoleum's particular topographical location has led to its partial burial on several occasions under the sediment left by a stream in the surrounding terrain, necessitating several excavations. The mausoleum, listed as a protected historic monument in 1840, was the subject of several excavation campaigns in the 19th and 20th centuries.