Grand Menhir de la Garde
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The Grand Menhir de la Garde (also called Grande Pierre du Logis de la Garde or La Pierre à Vinegre ( German "Essigstein" ) is a menhir in Cholet , in the south of the Maine-et-Loire department in France .
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The menhir used to stand southeast of Cholet, on Rue de Maulévrier (D20), about 70 m from Hof Garde. In an engraving by Pierre-Aimé Millet (1783–1873) from 1865, the menhir stands upright, but its gradual inclination towards the street made lighting necessary at night. In 1888 it was decided to transfer him to the Jardin du Mail in Cholet. The stone, weighing around 30 tons, was transported on a special wagon with 16 oxen to the park about 5.0 km away.
The cuboid menhir made of local granite with rounded corners and a height of 3.6 m, of which 70 cm are in the ground, was not set up in its original orientation at the foot of the ramparts of Cholet. The front side, which now has a small niche and a plaque, was originally the northeast side. The niche was dug in 1851 at the behest of the parish priest of Saint-Pierre, who placed a statue of the Virgin Mary there that faced the street and has now disappeared.
The name Pierre à Vinegre originally comes from the common custom of celebrating libations on the stone. The corruption of the old custom was to press the victim's nose onto the stone so he could smell the vinegar. This tradition was established in many places in France, especially in the Middle Ages ( Pierre à Vinaigre in Nouzilly, Croix de la Pierre à Vinaigre in Crotelles).
About 300 m southwest of its original location, the Petit menhir du Champ de la Garde , also known as "Pierre à huile" ( German "Ölstein" ), has been preserved.
literature
- Michel Gruet: Mégalithes en Anjou, Cheminements, 2005 (1re éd. 1967, actualization de Charles-Tanguy Le Roux) ISBN 284478397X .
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 3 '31.9 " N , 0 ° 52' 49.3" W.