The mausoleum, still visible near the road into Lanuéjols, consists of a funerary chapel built on raised ground (podium). Its colonnaded vestibule is accessed by a monumental staircase.
The chapel contains three niches in the north, east and south walls. Those in the north and south walls probably contained sarcophagi of the deceased, while the eastern one might have accommodated their statues.
Besides the main tomb, two other buildings made up this burial complex. The second monument might have been an altar from which the funeral ceremonies were conducted. The third might correspond to the tomb of the two sons’ parents.
The Pomponii, a rich family of Roman citizens, lived in the Lanuéjols region in the 2nd century. The father, Lucius Julius Bassianus, owned a large agricultural estate (villa) whose centre may have been located at Finiols.
The set of buildings containing the tombs of a family of notables was built in the 2nd century. But use of the site for funeral purposes seems to have continued until the end of Antiquity, as suggested by the nearby discovery of some 50 tombs dating from this period.
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The lintel is inscribed in Latin: “in honour and to the memory of Lucius Pomponius Bassulus and Lucius Pomponius Balbinius, pious sons, their father Lucius Julius Bassianus and their mother Pomponia Regola have built this monument from the foundations to the ridge and have consecrated it along with the neighbouring buildings.”
The mausoleum is one of the Mont Lozère Ecomuseum sites.
