Menhir de la Grosse Pierre ou du Colombier
Menhirs are rare in the Ardèche. They used to be destroyed or were transformed into crosses by the Catholics. Though,this menhir survived it.
This menhir is one of the nine inventorized menhirs in the Ardèche. This 3.50 m tall menhir was put upright again by the « syndicat d’initiative » of Saint-Martin-d’Ardèche. Originally the menhir was erected during the same period as the dolmens : between 2600 and 1800 years B.C. There doesn’t seem to be any relation with the dolmen du Colombier, located 400 m away to the east. According to Léopold Chiron, one of the pioneers of archeology in the Ardèche, the menhirs used to be called « plourousses », deriving from the French verb pleurer (to weep, to cry) , because this was the place where women wept during funerary ceremonies. Today it’s hard to tell whether this menhir stood by itself or whether it was part of a complex.
The menhir of Grosse Pierre and the dolme of Colombier are located next to the botanical path « des grosses pierres near the entrance of the cave of St Marcel. This cave is on the road D290 of the canyon near St Martin d’Ardèche. Easy to find.
The menhir of Grosse Pierre and the dolme of Colombier are located next to the botanical path « des grosses pierres near the entrance of the cave of St Marcel. This cave is on the road D290 of the canyon near St Martin d’Ardèche. Easy to find.
