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Origin and history

The Dolmen de Loubressac, also known as Pierre Pèse, is a megalithic monument located in the municipality of Mazerolles, in the department of Vienna (New Aquitaine). Daed of Neolithic, he testified to the funeral and architectural practices of that time. Today, in a state of ruins, it has suffered degradation during the enlargement of an adjacent road and its use as a stable. Five limestone orthostats remain under a part of the cover table, while other elements, including a granite pillar, are visible nearby. Originally, the room was about 4 metres long by 2.5 metres wide.

Stunned at the end of the 19th century by E. Tartarin, the site delivered human bone remains (adults and children), coarse pottery coats and a flint slice. These findings confirm its funeral and ritual use. A sketch by Le Touzé de Longuemar, made in the same period, documents his original architecture, now altered. According to a local legend, the dolmen was built by the Holy Vierge with eight spindles and a flat stone carried on its head.

Ranked as historical monuments by order of 20 November 1974, the dolmen belongs to the municipality of Mazerolles. Its exact location, near Rue de la Chapelle, is listed in the Merimée database under the code INSEE 86153. Although its present state is fragmentary, there is still a significant example of megalithism in Poitou-Charentes, illustrating neolithic beliefs and construction techniques.

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