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Origin and history

The dolmen dit La-Pierre-aux-Fées, also called Pierre des morts, is a megalithic monument located near the hamlet of Saint-Ange, on the plain of the Rocailles in Reignier-Ésery (Haute-Savoie). This morainic site, marked by erratic blocks left by glaciers, houses an elongated dolmen of 4.90 m long, oriented to the east. Its granite roofing table at Mont-Blanc weighs nearly 40 tons, supported by three reworked pillars, two of which have blocked vertical grooves. The surrounding slabs may correspond to vestiges of trimming or antennae, typical of Jurassian dolmens.

Mentioned for the first time in 1819 as a Druidic altar, the site was studied in 1834 by Burdallet and searched several times in the 19th century. In 1872, P. Vionnet confirmed his status as a dolmen, and in 1878 Louis Revon published a detailed description with a plan. The excavations reveal mainly animal bones (bovids), now preserved at the Museum of Geneva. Ranked a historic monument in 1910, the dolmen was the subject of a laser survey in 2007, confirming the stability of its architecture since the 19th century, despite a disbursement of the soil after its classification.

Two local legends explain its origin: one evokes the knight Aymon of Bellecombe, helped by fairies to transport the stones before dawn in order to marry Alice, daughter of the Baron du Châtelet; The other describes fairies surprised by a storm, building a shelter with erratic blocks. These stories reflect the popular imagination associated with megaliths, often linked to supernatural interventions.

Dated between 3200 and 2800 B.C. with a few artifacts, the dolmen illustrates neolithic funeral practices. Its architecture suggests the reuse of existing slabs, perhaps from a larger monument. The grooves and grooves of the pillars, not perfectly adjusted to the table, support this hypothesis. Despite the alleged disappearance of three orthostats (north, south and east), the building remains stable, reflecting the expertise of Neolithic builders.

The site inspired the name of the local Collège Pierre-aux-Fées and is the subject of recent studies, such as the one published in 2018 in Nature and Heritage in Savoie. This research highlights its importance in the Savoyard megalithic landscape, alongside other sites in Haute-Savoie. The dolmen, although partially devoid of its original tumulus, retains a strong heritage and scientific value.

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