Pierre Saint-Julien
The Pierre Saint-Julien (also monolith of Le Mans, Pierre des Païens - German "Heidenstein" or Pierre au Lait - German "milk stone" called) is a menhir of pink sandstone ( French Grès à Sabals ) in Le Mans in the Sarthe department in France . It stands on the southeast corner of the west facade of Le Mans Cathedral - Saint Julien.
The stone looks like a woman wrapped in a cloth. The menhir, which was erected about five millennia ago, is 4.55 meters high. It was installed and Christianized in 1778 after the destruction of the “Dolmens de la Pierre au Lait” on the Place Saint Michel .
Tradition has it that the hole in the middle is the "navel of Le Mans" where visitors to the city stick their thumbs. The navel is a small bowl (French: cupule ) in which, since ancient times, young women have rubbed their fingers in order to become fertile. The repeated actions gave the navel real shine.
The menhir has been classified as a monument historique since 1889 .
Web links
- Menhir, dressé contre la cathédrale, dit Pierre Saint-Julien in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
Coordinates: 48 ° 0 '34.8 " N , 0 ° 11' 53.1" E