Pierres Jaumâtres

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The Pierres Jaumâtres

The Pierres Jaumâtres are a sea ​​of ​​rocks made of leuco granite on the northern edge of the French Massif Central ( Limousin region , Creuse department ).

etymology

The name is derived from "Pierres aux Mâtres" (rock of the mothers). The Mâtres are Celtic goddesses (matrons) of fertility.

geography

The sea of ​​rocks forms the summit area of ​​the 591 meter high Mont Barlot , which rises about three kilometers north-northeast of the municipality of Toulx-Sainte-Croix . The eroded leuco granites on the top of the hill make up the character of this place and dominate the plain of the Creuse. Erosion shaped the outcrop and made it appear fragile in places. The stones are reminiscent of prehistoric dolmens . That is why there have been legends about this geological attraction for a long time. The natural area in which the Pierres Jaumâtres are located has been inscribed as a Monument historique since 1927 .

geology

The Pierres Jaumâtres are made from Saint-Silvain-Bas-le-Roc leuco granite. This leuco granite was formed towards the end of the Variscan orogeny between 294 and 300 million years ago. It is post-tectonic and only brittle.

  • Les Pierres Jaumâtres

  • Pierres Jaumâtres

  • Pierres Jaumâtres

  • Pierres Jaumâtres

Legend

Before the Celts and barbarians lived a clan of giants on Mont Barlot, where the Pierres Jaumâtres are today. A forest of oaks, poplars and weeping willows is said to have stood on this hill, in which small goblins also lived. One day your boss decides that you have to see what is hidden above the clouds. He has the forest cut down to build a ladder. The goblins then invoke the gods. When they see that the giants are trying to get into the sky, they get angry and turn the giants standing on the ladder into stones. These fall on the mountain top and form the Pierres Jaumâtres.

George Sand

George Sand (1804–1876), who lived several times at the Chateau de Boussac, not far away, was inspired by the place. Sand quotes him in her 1844 novel "Jeanne".

Web links

Commons : Pierres Jaumâtres  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ M. Cohen-Julien et al.: Feuille Boussac (618) . In: BRGM (ed.): Carte géologique de la France à 1/50 000 . Orléans 1991.

Coordinates: 46 ° 18 ′ 47.5 "  N , 2 ° 13 ′ 35.5"  E