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Origin and history

The Three Menhirs on the hill of Treimes are part of an exceptional megalithic ensemble on the limestone plateau of the Cham des Bondons in Lozère. This site, included in the Cevennes National Park, houses 154 menhirs, the second largest concentration in Europe after Carnac. The menhirs, carved in granite despite a local limestone soil, testify to a complex transport from quarries located several kilometres away, such as Fontpadelle, where slabs ready for use are still visible. Their fusiform shape, with polished edges and ogival peaks, is characteristic of the region.

The first inventory of menhirs was made in the 1940s by Dr. Charles Morel, who recorded about 120. In the second half of the 20th century, Gilbert Fages, from the service of Antiquities of the Lozère, completed this work by discovering many lying menhirs, later recorded during joint operations between the DRAC Occitanie and the Cevennes National Park. Menhirs are divided into several groups, some of which, such as the hill of Treimes, have had monoliths listed as historical monuments since 1941. Their layout often follows parallel peak lines, with remarkable alignments like those of the menhirs of Chabusse.

The plateau de la Cham des Bondons is also of geological interest, with formations such as the puechs (Jurassic controls) and the Malaval cave, explored from the 1950s for its d Looks. Menhirs, often associated with tumuli or dolmens, reflect an ancient human occupation, linked to funeral and symbolic practices. Their recovery in the 20th and 21st centuries allowed to preserve this heritage, while revealing traces of extraction and flow, such as the grooves visible on the Pierre des Trois Parosses, a frontier menhir between three communes.

Among the notable groups, the Veissière has the largest menhirs of the Cham (more than 5 meters), while the Colobrières group has a monolith of 4.10 meters and 7 tons. Menhirs, sometimes anthropomorphic or broken, were protected by decrees of 1941, highlighting their archaeological value. Their study reveals sophisticated size and transport techniques for the time, as well as a deliberate spatial organization, possibly linked to territorial rituals or markings.

The local legend attributes the formation of puechs to Gargantua, mythical giants having "fertilized" the soil with the mud of its hoofs. This folk dimension adds to the scientific importance of the site, where geology, prehistory and cultural heritage intersect. The menhirs of Treimes, although less known than those of Carnac, illustrate the megalithic richness of the Cevennes and their integration into a landscape shaped by man since Neolithic.

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