Divona

Divona is the historical name used by archaeologists for a Gallo-Roman settlement at the site of the modern city of Cahors in southwestern France. The town lies on the Lot river in the former Roman province of Gallia Aquitania. The epithet Divona is closely associated with a religious sanctuary and a temple complex built near a spring, indicating the site’s ceremonial importance in the early urban center.

In the Roman period, Divona functioned as a local hub of administration and trade within Aquitania. Archaeological evidence suggests a typical Roman urban layout featuring a forum, baths, and a public religious precinct. The sanctuary complex, often linked to water cults and possibly venerating a local spring goddess or divine spring, reflects the integration of native Gaulish religious elements with Roman practice. The settlement persisted into late antiquity and gradually declined as population centers shifted and administrative structures reorganized.

Modern scholarship identifies Cahors with Divona through inscriptions, toponyms, and archaeological material recovered at the site. Notable discoveries include ritual offerings, inscriptions, and architectural remains that illuminate Gallo-Roman religion and urban life in southwestern Gaul. The Divona designation continues to appear in academic works as the antique designation for the site, while Cahors is the long-established modern successor.

The name Divona is believed to derive from a Gaulish root related to divinity or sacred springs, illustrating why the site was associated with ritual water cults. The designation thus reflects both religious and urban dimensions of this Gaulish-Roman locality.