Sources of the Seine:where the river is born, in the Châtillonnais

In brief: the Sources of the Seine rise at 446 m altitude in a wooded valley of the Chatillonnais region. The site combines a Second Empire nymphaeum designed by Baltard, a Gallo-Roman sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Sequana and a classified landscape park, all owned by the City of Paris since 1864.

At first glance, nothing distinguishes this damp valley at the end of a narrow road: a few trees, an iron gate, a trickle of water crossing the road. Yet this is where the Seine is born, the river of Paris. The Sources of the Seine, in the commune of Source-Seine, is one of the most singular places in Burgundy - a piece of Paris set in a Chatillonnais valley, blending Gallic history with 19th-century romanticism.

A Second Empire nymphaeum designed by Baltard

In 1864, at the instigation of Baron Haussmann, the City of Paris purchased the valley where its river rises. The following year, a nymphaeum - an artificial grotto - was built to showcase the main spring. The project was entrusted to Victor Baltard, architect of the Les Halles de Paris, along with Gabriel Davioud and landscape architect Combaz.

The grotto, built in millstone and rockwork, houses a statue of a reclining nymph sculpted by Francois Jouffroy, an artist born in Dijon. The original from 1867 was replaced in 1934 with a copy by Paul Auban. The bronze statue of Sequana - the Celtic goddess of the Seine - is kept at the Dijon Archaeological Museum.

The landscaped park surrounding the spring was designed as a romantic walk, with winding paths, landscaped woodland and several secondary springs feeding the nascent stream. The Pont Paul-Lamarche, built in the 1970s, bears the name of the guardian who watched over the site for decades.

The Gallo-Roman sanctuary of Sequana

Long before the Parisian architects arrived, the site was a sacred place. From the Gallic period, then Gallo-Roman (from the 1st century BC to the 4th century AD), the Sources of the Seine housed an important sanctuary dedicated to Sequana, healing goddess of the waters, whose name gave the river its name.

The first archaeological excavations, conducted from 1836 to 1843, revealed the remains of a Gallo-Roman temple (fanum) surrounded by a U-shaped portico. Subsequent campaigns (1930-1939 by Henry Corot, 1948-1953 by Roland Martin and Gabriel Grémaud, 1963-1967 by Roland Martin and Simone Deyts) uncovered several hundred ex-votos: wooden (oak), stone and bronze sculptures representing healed body parts - limbs, eyes, breasts, organs - as well as praying pilgrims and animals.

The oak wood ex-votos are of exceptional rarity in France: they survived only thanks to the marshy conditions of the site. A large vase bearing the inscription “DEAE SEQUANAE RVFVS DONAVIT” contained coins, ex-votos and gold rings. The bronze statue of Sequana, which depicts the goddess standing in a boat with a duck-shaped prow, is considered the centrepiece of the Dijon Archaeological Museum.

The sanctuary was abandoned at the end of Antiquity, after the ban on pagan cults. The ruins have been classified as a Historic Monument since 1945, and the entire archaeological and landscape site was classified in 2020.

A classified landscape park in the heart of Chatillonnais

Today, the Sources of the Seine estate is a multi-hectare landscape park open to the public free of charge, 24 hours a day. The site is classified as a Natural Area of Ecological, Floristic and Faunistic Interest (ZNIEFF) and has been classified as a protected site since 1936, a protection extended by decree of 22 August 2019.

Visitors can follow the course of the nascent Seine from the grotto to the Pont Paul-Lamarche, stroll past the 19th-century artificial cascades and explore the wooded paths winding through the valley. The main springs feeding the river are visible, the first emerging directly beneath the nymph statue.

The site is especially pleasant in spring (undergrowth flowering, abundant water) and autumn (foliage colours). In summer, the spring flow can drop noticeably - guardians Jacques and Marie-Jeanne Fournier, who have watched over the site for decades, observe an increasingly pronounced drying of the grotto each year due to climate change.

The ruins of the Gallo-Roman sanctuary remain visible in the park, discreet but accessible. A guided tour is offered several times a year, particularly during the Heritage Days.

How to visit the Sources of the Seine

The site is located at Source-Seine, about 15 km from Chatillon-sur-Seine and about sixty kilometres from Dijon. Access is free and parking is available on site. No reservation is required for the self-guided visit.

Allow between 45 minutes and 1.5 hours for the complete visit: the grotto, the park, the bridge, the trails. Picnic tables are available in the park. The site makes an ideal stop on the road between Dijon and the Chatillonnais, or as a complement to a visit to Chatillon-sur-Seine and the Museum of Pays Chatillonnais.

For those wishing to delve deeper into the site’s Gallo-Roman history, the Dijon Archaeological Museum (free entry, in the former Saint-Benigne Abbey) displays the complete collection of Sequana ex-votos, including the famous bronze statue of the goddess. A visit to the Sources followed by a stop at the Dijon museum makes for a full day tracing the river’s footsteps.

Practical information

Access and hours

The site is freely accessible and unstaffed. There is no shop, ticket office or toilets on site - plan accordingly. The ground can be damp, especially near the springs: suitable footwear is recommended. Leashed pets are welcome.

The Seine travels 777 km from this Chatillonnais valley to the English Channel, passing through Troyes, Paris and Rouen. But it is here, in this wooded valley of northern Cote d’Or, that its journey begins.