To this day, this divine place remains an unsolved mystery. Apart from this Latin writing, no trace of this historical vestige has been found by archaeologists.
The Written Stone of Claudius Dardanus
On your way from Sisteron, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, you can admire the fabulous parade of the Written Stone. This is a Latin text engraved in stone in the 5th century which evokes an enigmatic Theopolis, translated into Greek as City of God. The Written Stone leading to the plateau of Chardavon, then to the heights of the Dromon, evokes the career and altruism of a very high official.
Claudius Postumus Dardanus was a prefect of the Praetorium of the Gauls in 412-413 who, after long years of work, had retired with his relatives to a remote place where he owned a property. Converted to Christianity, Dardanus began to engage in epistolary relations with St Augustine and St Jerome, to whom he had an unfailing admiration. He decided to found a walled settlement called Theopolis on his estate, for which he built a road leading to the present-day village of Saint-Geniez. The name Theopolis recalls one of the books of Saint Augustine. Whether it was a fortified villa, a small town or a monastery, no document shows the existence of this foundation, which would have been built for the safety of all.
To date, no archaeological remains of this settlement have been discovered and no one knows its size. Only a Latin inscription carved into the rock face is visible at the point where the rocky gorge was widened. In it, Claudius Dardanus states that he founded – together with his wife Naeuia Galla and his brother Claudius Lepidus – a viable road by cutting the two sides of the mountain and adding walls and gates.
Notre-Dame de Dromon
If there is anything left of Theopolis, it may be in the crypt of the Notre-Dame de Dromon chapel in Saint-Geniez. We do not know exactly when it was built, but in the 11th century, there was a first mention of this chapel in a text in which the Bishop of Gap gives it to the Abbey of Saint Victor in Marseille. Built on the side of a rock and on uneven ground, this church can only be reached on foot by a path from the hamlet of Chardavon – a valley with many traces of Gallo-Roman occupation.
Its decoration bears the traces of fertility rites. By descending the staircase, one can access a crypt 3 metres below in which there is a fertility stone made up of sheaves of wheat, grains of wheat or rams’ testicles, a peacock symbolising immortality… Nowadays, women who are unable to become pregnant continue to come and press themselves against the stone of the chapel of Notre-Dame de Dromon in order to fulfil their desire for pregnancy.
In the 19th century, excavations were carriedout in this cult place by researchers eager to discover a secret passage linked to Theopolis, but to no avail. For many years, the chapel has given rise to a great deal of fantasy, including its possible link with the city of God mentioned on the stele. There is no concrete evidence of this at the moment. This legend has unfortunately led to the deterioration of various parts of the chapel: illegal and dangerous excavations, dismantling of the wall behind the fertility stone, etc.
A la découverte de Théopolis
You want to know the secret of Theopolis? We invite you to visit the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Dromon, which could be the site of this city of God.
To get to the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Dromon, follow the D3 through the town of Saint-Geniez. Then, after 2 km, take the path on the right that indicates the chapel. You can park next to the farm and continue on foot to the place of worship. Guided tours can be arranged for groups by contacting the village hall directly.
