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Origin and history

The dolmen de Fontenaille, also known as the stone of Liaigues or dolmen des Rochelles, is a megalithic building located in the commune of Champigny-le-Sec, in the department of Vienna. This monument, dated from the Neolithic, consists of a sandstone cover table measuring 3 meters long by 2.5 meters wide, supported by three orthostats of various sizes. Around the main structure, other blocks of sandstone are dispersed, suggesting a larger burial chamber than the current remains.

Ranked as historical monuments by order of 18 September 1929, the dolmen was subjected to unauthorized excavations in 1838, during which human bones (four adults, two teenagers and two children) and fragments of black pottery were discovered. These evidences attest to his funeral use. By 1835, the historian Le Touzé de Longuemar evoked a room that was potentially longer than the remains suggest.

The dolmen of Fontenaille is part of a local megalithic complex, formerly composed of five monuments, including the dolmens of Bel Air and the Clos du Renard, now missing. These sites, grouped under the name of the Five Liaigues Stones, bear witness to a human occupation and funeral practices organized during the Neolithic period in this region of Poitou. The sandstone, a material used for its construction, is characteristic of local resources.

Available data from sources such as Wikipedia and Monumentum highlight its archaeological and heritage importance. The site is referenced in the Merimée base under Insee 86053, confirming its territorial anchoring in Vienna, New Aquitaine. Its state of conservation and its approximate location (13 Les Rochelles) make it a subject of study for researchers in megalithism.

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