Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

White covered walkway, also known as Peyre Levado or Cros de la Viurge, is a protohistoric dolmen located in Nojals-et-Clotte, Dordogne department. This megalithic monument, classified as historical monuments on May 4, 1971, is a typical example of angoumoisin dolmen with eccentric corridor, comparable to that of Larocal in Sainte-Sabine-Born. Its sepulchral room, 4.50 meters long and 2 meters wide, is facing southeast/northwest and extended by a 1.20 metre wide access corridor. Initially, the tumulus had an elaborate architecture, as evidenced by vertical slabs on the north side.

The site was first mentioned by François Jouannet between 1808 and 1818, then studied by W. de Taillefer in 1821 and Léo Drouyn in 1876, who provided a detailed description. Property of the Historical and Archaeological Society of the Périgord, the monument underwent a controversial restoration modifying its original layout: the entrance was reversed with the bedside, and an additional orthostat was added to the funeral chamber, altering its initial structure. Despite these transformations, there remains a major testimony of neolithic funeral practices in Aquitaine.

According to the local tradition, this dolmen was built by the Virgin to house a berger scared by a storm, bearing the name Cros de la Viurge (Croix de la Vierge). This legend reflects the symbolic appropriation of megaliths by local communities over the centuries. The site, located close to Peyrelevade ("raised stone" in Occitan) and Blanc, is accessible from the intersection of the 19E and 676 departmental roads. Its classification in 1971 underlines its heritage importance, although its precise location remains approximate (level 6/10 depending on the sources).

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