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Origin and history

The Dolmen des Trois-Pierres, also known as Pierre Percée or Pierre Trouée, is a covered walkway of type Seine-Oise-Marne erected on a hilltop overlooking the Troësne River, in Trie-Château (Oise). Its original architecture includes a narrow vestibule (2 m x 1 m) separated from the funeral chamber (7-8 m long) by a slab pierced by a circular 40-45 cm hole, called "hole of souls". This symbolic passage, now damaged, was probably used to introduce the deceased. The local limestone slabs, extracted from a nearby outcrop, now have only an intact roof table (3.80 m), that of the vestibule.

The first written mention of the monument dates back to 1763, followed by a engraving in the early 19th century. An undocumented search would have taken place in 1836, but the only verified investigations date back to 1876, conducted by Léon de Vesly and Alfred Fitan. Their discoveries are limited to human bones near the entrance, a polished axe in flint, an unpolished axe, coarse pottery coats, as well as fragments of Roman tile and bronze, possibly brought by runoff. The dolmen, classified as a historical monument in 1862, was partially damaged by these excavations.

The site is part of a wider megalithic landscape: a menhir (Bois de la Garenne) stands 200 m northeast, and several neolithic stations are listed within a few kilometres. Two local legends are associated: the first attribute its construction to fairies carrying the stones in their apron; the second describes the monument "growing" of earth as a plant. The pierced slab, considered curative, served as a ritual for sick children, passed through the hole, or newborns exposed on its surface.

The excavations of 1876 revealed a paved ground in opus incertum and modest funeral furniture, perhaps reflecting the collective burial practices of Neolithic. The polished axe discovered nearby in the 20th century confirms the sustainable human occupation in the region. The learned societies of the 19th century, fascinated by this vestige, drew up several plans, testifying to its early scientific interest.

Ranked among the first French historical monuments (list of 1862), the dolmen illustrates the megalithic architecture of the Paris basin, while bearing the traces of its exploitation and its mythification over the centuries. Its present, though fragmentary, state makes it a rare witness to neolithic beliefs and techniques in the Hauts-de-France.

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