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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The cross of the ancient Merle-Leignec cemetery, probably erected at the end of the 15th century, is a typical funeral monument of this time. Its base and its barrel were carved in one block of stone, while the cross itself was carved in a separate block, a common practice for this type of monument. Originally, it marked the site of the cemetery, now extinct, which was located on the other side of the church, as attested by the cadastre of 1825. A stone, once placed halfway up the base, was used to place the coffins there for a religious ceremony before entering the church, a tradition still attested in 1904 by Thiollier.

An inscription hidden under this stone, JUBILE 1826, suggests that this stone of the dead was installed in the 19th century, long after the construction of the cross. The monument underwent several restorations, notably in 1964, where the right arm of the broken cross was consolidated with a metal frame and rebonded fragments. During this intervention, the upper part of the cross would have been raised upside down. The cross was inscribed in the Historical Monuments in 1949, then classified in 1951, highlighting its heritage importance.

The modifications to the monument reflect its use and adaptation over the centuries. The shortening of the barrel and the successive consolidations bear witness to efforts to preserve this religious and funeral symbol. Today, the cross remains a tangible vestige of medieval ritual practices and the evolution of sacred spaces in rural villages. Its present location, in front of the church, recalls its central role in community life and death ceremonies.

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