Classification of historical monuments 1889 (≈ 1889)
Official protection of menhir as a historical monument.
avant 1967
Destruction of the menhir
Destruction of the menhir avant 1967 (≈ 1967)
Disappeared on an indeterminate date prior to 1967.
2015
Municipal merger
Municipal merger 2015 (≈ 2015)
Integration of Saint-Germain-sur-Moine in Sèvremoine.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Menhir dit La Haute-Borne, dependent on the farm of the Daviere and bordering the C. I. C. 47 (Box B 38): list of 1889
Key figures
Godard Faultrier - Local author
Described the menhir (5 m high).
Millet de la Turtaudière - Author and illustrator
Represented the menhir (4 m high).
Michel Gruet - Author of *Megalithes en Anjou*
Documented the menhir in his book.
Origin and history
The Menhir dit La Haute-Borne, also known as the Menhir de Villedieu, was a megalithic monument located in Saint-Germain-sur-Moine, a municipality now integrated in Sèvremoine since 2015. This menhir, with an estimated height between 4 and 5 meters depending on the sources, was near the farm of the Chignardière. Although classified as historical monuments in 1889, it was destroyed on an indeterminate date before 1967. Its presumed location today corresponds to the natural granitic chaos of the rocking stones of the Daviere.
The Haute-Borne was described by local authors, such as Godard Faultrier and Millet de la Turtaudière, who provided slightly divergent measures. This menhir, like many others in Anjou, showed the presence of megalithic activity in the region, although its precise history and exact function remain unknown. His disappearance erased a notable archaeological vestige, now replaced in the maps by a natural geological formation.
The ranking of 1889 highlighted the heritage importance of this menhir, but its subsequent destruction illustrates the challenges of preserving ancient monuments. Available sources, including Michel Gruet's books and the archives of the Merimée base, confirm its existence and approximate location, while pointing to uncertainty as to the circumstances of its disappearance. Today, there are only documentary records and an approximate address near the Borreres in Saint-Germain-sur-Moine.
