Grotto, Paris Basin. Photo Copyright © 2000 by Anthony G. Atkielski. All rights reserved.

We think of Sequana as the River Seine, but She is as much the underground waters of springs, caves, aquifers, wells and underground rivers as She is the more visible surface waters.

For the Celts, Her waters were holy, magical, and healing:

"The French shrine of 'Sequana of the Seine' lies (22) miles northwest of Dijon and protects the hot spring source of the Seine. This... wooded valley (had)...an extensive temple complex...centred on a pool and spring...." (Virtual Knutsford)

"...Fontes Sequanae, a remote sanctuary in Burgundy at the source of the River Seine, has produced overwhelming evidence that it was a healing centre and pilgrimage destination between the 1st-3rd centuries AD." (Miranda Green)

The limestone underlying the topsoil in the Paris Basin filters the rain waters, producing drinking water that, in its day, was considered as healing as the waters of Lourdes.

The photo at right of a grotto in the Paris Basin is, for me, a visual meditation and a stunning, visual metaphor of the Mother of the Living Waters.

Visit Anthony Atkielski's website to find the full-size image of this photo. It's worth the journey! You'll discover many other pictures of the parts of France that were once the homeland of those who called their goddess Sequana.