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Origin and history

The Menhir de la Fontaine Saint-Gré is a megalith located in Avrillé, in the department of Vendée (Pays de la Loire). In 1988, it was originally more than 2 metres high before being broken. Today, it lies near a basin formed by an old granite farm, where a spring called Fountain Saint-Gré comes out. A cupula on its western face, of uncertain authenticity, and seven other missing or displaced menhirs in the vicinity testify to a larger megalithic site.

The fountain, formerly called Fountain of the Lady due to a local legend evoking a White Lady, was a place of pilgrimage dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Peter, patron of the church of Avrillé. The faithful collected water that was known to cure asthma and help children walk. The pilgrimage, celebrated on 29 June (Saint Peter), lasted until the end of the 20th century. 19th-century developments, such as steps and an iron ring, facilitated access to the spring, dug into a rock with an imprint attributed to the Virgin.

The site, exploited for its porphyroid granite, was transformed by the natural flooding of the extraction cavity, forming a basin framed by rocks. A wash was added north side. In 2004, the former mayor of Avrillé bought the site to give it to the commune, thus preserving this heritage linked to popular beliefs and regional megalithic history. A second menhir, the Pré de Saint-Gré, remains nearby, measuring about 2 meters.

Archaeological sources, such as the work of Bertrand Poissonnier, underline the importance of the site in the megalithic landscape of the Vendee. Menhir and the fountain illustrate both prehistoric practices of extracting monoliths and later chretianized traditions, mixing pagan legends and Marian worship. The protection of the menhir in 1988 and the preservation of the site reflect its heritage value, both geological, historical and ethnographic.

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