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Origin and history

The Dolmen de La Pierre is a megalithic building located in Moulins-sur-Céphons, in the Indre department, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. This Neolithic dolmen is 6 metres long and 4.20 metres wide, with a maximum height of 1.60 metres. It consists of two sandstone roof tables, one of which is broken and partially rests on the ground. The monument was classified in 1900 as Dolmen and Cromlech de La Pierre, although the existence of a cromlech is now in question.

In 1870, the dolmen underwent an undocumented wild search, causing the collapse of a cover table and leaving the monument partially ruined. The blocks scattered around the site, once interpreted as the remains of a cromlech, could actually come from the dismantling of the dolmen or a possible tumulus. According to a local tradition, touching the building would bring misfortune, with a belief that whoever would do so would die within the year.

The dolmen was built on a plateau edge overlooking the Lamps Creek. Its funeral chamber, 5.80 metres long and 2.30 metres wide, is bounded by sandstone slabs, whose provenance is estimated to be more than 30 km, probably from the communes of Bagneux or Dun-le-Poëlier. This site illustrates Neolithic funeral and architectural practices in the region, while highlighting conservation challenges related to plundering and time erosion.

Ranked a historic monument since 1900, the Dolmen de La Pierre now belongs to the commune of Moulins-sur-Céphons. Although partially degraded, there is still a valuable testimony of megalithism in Berry. The studies carried out by Ludovic Martinet, in particular, have helped to better understand its structure and origin, while at the same time highlighting the uncertainties surrounding the surrounding remains, formerly attributed to a cromlech.

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