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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Dolmen de la Pierre Levée, also known as Table du Diable or Caillotte de Gargantua, is a megalithic building located in the commune of La Chapelle-Vendômise, in the department of Loir-et-Cher. This portico dolmen, dated from the Neolithic, consists of a rectangular chamber (4.50 m x 2.50 m) covered with two slabs, framed by four orthostats and a bedside slab. The materials, limestone and milling from Beauce, could come from the site itself. No archaeological discovery was recorded during the ancient excavations.

Ranked as a historical monument in 1889, the dolmen was associated with a local legend attributing its construction in 1057 to Foulques Ison, Count of Vendôme, to delimit its domain from that of Thibault III, Count of Blois. This hypothesis, reported by Abbé Simon and Salaberry, remains controversial, with the neolithic dating widely accepted by archaeologists.

The folklore surrounding the monument is rich: some traditions see it as a rock rejected by Gargantua, while others evoke a magical construction. According to these accounts, mysterious music would escape from dolmen every night. These legends illustrate the attachment of local communities to this site, mixing history and imagination.

The dolmen is now owned by the department and an association. Its precise location, at 158 Chemin du Dolmen, makes it a point of interest for the study of the megaliths of the region Centre-Val de Loire. The available data (Merimée, Wikipedia) confirm its heritage importance, although its access and modalities of visit are not detailed in the sources.

The architectural structure, with its unique table porch and funeral chamber, is characteristic of the dolmens of the region. The absence of archaeological furniture limits knowledge of its ritual or funeral uses, but its state of conservation makes it a valuable witness to neolithic practices in Beauce.

Finally, the dolmen is part of a wider network of megalithic sites in the Loir-et-Cher, highlighting the importance of this area for prehistoric communities. Its early ranking (1889) reflects the recognition of its historical value as early as the 19th century, in a context of increasing preservation of the French megalithic heritage.

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