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| ARCHITECTURE | 
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| A SANCTUARY FOR WHICH RELIGION ? |
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| The vicissitudes of time | 
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THE VICISSITUDES OF TIME
Very little, apart from the supporting walls, remains of the Pipet Sanctuary which must have been one of the biggest monuments of the Roman city. Its conspicuous position was the cause of its disappearance.From the beginning of the Middle Ages, the hill became part of the new defences of the city and was transformed into a stronghold. An IXth Century text mentions the Eumedium castle which later became Pipet. At the beginning of the IXth Century the Duke of Burgundy gave the fortress to the Vienne church. In the XIIIth Century it was gifted to the Chapter of Saint-Maurice Cathedral in Vienne which maintained a small garrison there. The medieval fortress is only known through engravings. A high, square tower stood in the middle of the plateau. It was perhaps built using recycled materials from the Roman era. In 1626, the king of France ordered the demolition of all fortifications that were not situated on the frontiers of the Kingdom of France. The fate of the Pipet castle was sealed in 1633 : the structures that had been built on the plateau were razed and vines were planted. However, it was impossible to demolish the Roman supporting walls in spite of a new royal edict demanding its complete destruction. In 1856, The Pipet platform was consecrated to the Virgin Mary. Her statue was raised at the top of a tower, a chapel was consecrated to Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette and a presbytery was built. At that time no trace of the foundations of the ancient building were discovered, but the discovery of mosaics and frescoes was reported during the digging of the chapel foundations. A cistern or pond was also discovered. The ancient walls surrounding the plateau are remarkably well preserved. Protected as historic monuments, they cannot be visited because they are on private property.
