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Origin and history

The menhir known as Grande Borne or Pierre-Sainte-Christine is a megalithic monument erected during the Neolithic period, located on the border of the communes of Genay and Villaines-les-Prévotes, in the department of Côte-d'Or (Burgogne-Franche-Comté). Consisting of a large-grained pink granite block, it measures 3.25 m in height and has traces of engravings, including a heel ax typical of megalithic art in western France. Its rounded apex and regularized edges suggest careful human work, while its eastern face evokes a phallic form.

In 1865 Armand Bruzard, a member of the Semur Society of Historical and Natural Sciences, searched the base of the then overthrown menhir. Two years later, in 1867, the company proceeded with its reorganization. The excavations reveal charcoals, calcined bones, a bronze fibula and coarse ceramic teasses, originally attributed to the Gallo-Roman era, but potentially dated from the Bronze Age. This furniture, now lost, suggests a reuse of the site for funeral purposes long after its erection.

Ranked as historical monuments by order of 21 May 1910, the menhir is associated with a local legend. She said that a young girl from Genay, in love with a man from Villaines-les-Vevôtes, implored St.Christine to end the conflicts between the two villages. The saint, in a dream, would have carried the stone into her apron, stating that the "Grand-Borne would stay" where the cord would break. This account illustrates the historical tensions between neighbouring communities, symbolized by this border monument.

The stone, which was not originally buried, is now resting on a masonry seat added during its lifting. Its two engraved motifs – an anthropomorphic sign eroded near the base and an axe 2 m high – confirm its membership in the megalithic culture of the second half of the Middle Neolithic. The nearest similar granite outcrop, located 3 km in the forest of Saint-Loup, could indicate its geological origin.

Bruzard excavations, although partially documented, provide insight into post-menhir funeral practices. The presence of ceramics and metal objects suggests an occupation or re-appropriation of the site during the Bronze Age, a period marked by cultural exchanges and complex rituals in Burgundy. These discoveries, although lost, remain a reference for the study of Burgundy menhirs.

Today, the menhir stands as a silent testimony of past beliefs and conflicts, at the crossroads of the territories of Genay and Villaines-les-Prevotes. Its classification in 1910 underscores its heritage importance, while the legend of St.Christine perpetuates its anchor in local collective memory, mixing history and mythology.

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