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Origin and history

The Menhir de Montotote, also called Pierre du Tombeau, is a megalithic monument located in Davayat, in the department of Puy-de-Dôme. This porphyroid granite block, coming from the Champs region located 10 km north, rises to 4.20 metres in height with a base diameter of 4.73 metres. His weight is estimated at nearly 10 tons, and he is buried 0.66 metres in the ground according to a survey conducted in 1759 by Mr.Dutour. Today, it is located in a private courtyard in the village of Davayat, while remaining visible from the road.

Menhir is mentioned as early as the 18th century in the Mémoires or Journal des Jésuites de Trévoux under the name Pierre du Tombeau. Jean-Étienne Guettard made a communication with the French Academy. Historically, it served as a place of justice for the bailiffs of the Barony of Vaux-en-Limagne and the Marquisat of Combronde, who rendered their verdicts there. Ranked as historical monuments in 1889, it is a rare testimony of Neolithic judicial and cultural practices in the region.

According to the local legend, the judicial bases stood at the foot of this monument, highlighting its symbolic and social importance. The menhir is now protected and integrated into the French historical heritage, illustrating both the ingenuity of the Neolithic builders and the persistence of their heritage in the current landscape. Sources, such as the Inventory of Megaliths of France (CNRS, 1983), confirm its status as a remarkable site of auvergnat megalithism.

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