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Origin and history

The dolmen known as Pierre covered by the Planche, also known as the Gué au Poirier covered stone, is a megalithic monument located in Broc, in the department of Maine-et-Loire, in the Pays de la Loire region. This small, simple dolmen, built of limestone and eocene sandstone, is 2.65 meters long. It is covered with a single circular cover table of about 2 meters in diameter, and its tumulus remains partially visible. The funeral chamber is bounded by four orthostats (two to the north and two to the south).

The site was searched in 1872 by M. de la Pouèze, who discovered bone fragments, pottery, as well as ashes and coals, attesting to his funeral use. A local legend tells that the dolmen would house a forge where fairies would shape their tools during the night. These mythological elements reflect popular beliefs associated with megaliths in this region.

The dolmen was registered as historical monuments by order of 17 June 1983, thereby recognizing its heritage value. Although its precise dating is not mentioned in the sources, its architecture and the artifacts discovered attach it to the prehistoric megalithic tradition, common in western France. Today, it is a material testimony of funeral practices and beliefs of neolithic or protohistoric societies in the region.

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