The gallo-romain theatre

In 1817 an excavation at Boulevet revealed a building whose wall was 200 meters long and displayed a mosaic pavement.

Nearby, in 1862 a perfectly preserved hypocaust was discovered and destroyed by earthworkers only interested in bricks.

This area is rich in ruins of Roman constructions. In 1863 Abbé Cochet had seen and recognized the theater located at Le Boulevet. He began searching it in June 1870.

This construction has the shape of a semicircle. The circular part has a circumference of 150m. The walls are 1.30 m thick and 6m high and are made of flint and tuff. The space between the two ends of the semicircle is 80 meters. There is only one staircase (vomitorium) dividing the theater into two unequal parts, which is not a common practice.

The 1870 war interrupted the excavations of Abbé Cochet. No one has been able to resume this exploration since. 

In September and October 1872 Abbé Cochet obtained prefectural subsidies to search the theater of Briga (Gallo-Roman town near Eu). This site, still excavated today, hasbrought a lot to historical knowledge.

The presence in Saint André of a theatre of several hundred seats (about 1500) as well as the traces of large constructions tells us that the history of our town is that of an important Gallo-Roman city that remains to be discovered.