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Origin and history

The Peyrefitte Menhir, also known as Pierrefitte or Pierre Fitte, is a 5.20 m high megalith, 3 m wide and 1.50 m thick, weighing about 50 tons. Tailed in an asteria limestone extracted 2.5 km away, near Saint-Émilion, it presents a choking at its base and a medieval "drink of offerings". His erection probably dates back to the final Neolithic (-3500-2800 B.C.), a contemporary period of regional covered alleys.

Mentioned in 1289 as Petra-fixa in the legal texts of Edward I and the archives of Saint-Émilion, the menhir has been listed as a historical monument since 1889. A Merovingian tomb, containing bones and two iron keys, was discovered nearby in the 19th century. Its name could derive from "Pierre de Fuite", linked according to a 19th century hypothesis at the departure of the English in 1451.

The popular tradition attributes to menhir therapeutic virtues against rheumatism. Until the Revolution, there was a place of worship where people prayed to heal the lame. Today, the feast of Saint John (24 June) perpetuates solstifical rituals: processions with candles around the menhir, written vows launched in the Dordogne, and fireworks. These practices are included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory.

Several legends surround the monument. One relates that the Blessed Virgin, going to the abbey of La Sauve-Majeure, abandoned the stone intended for a bell tower. Another evokes a golden calf hidden under the megalith, marking the entrance of an underground. These stories reflect the symbolic importance of the site, mixing local history and Christianized pagan beliefs.

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