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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Menhir dit la Pierre-Fouret, also named Pierre du Fourey or Palet de Gargantua, is an emblematic megalithic monument located in the commune of Cergy, in the department of Val-d'Oise. Consisting of a soft sandstone slab in the shape of a disc, it is 3.80 meters high for a maximum width of 5.40 meters. Its average thickness is about 0.50 metres. This menhir, originally from an unspecified period, is mentioned for the first time in a Cergy censier in the 15th century under the name of Pierre des Sarrazins.

Ranked a historic monument since 1889, the Pierre-Fouret suffered degradations in the 19th century. Carriers then tried to extract stones from them, but left because the stone was too friable. Local folklore attributes this menhir to the giant Gargantua, and a legend tells that stone grows every year. These popular accounts illustrate the symbolic importance of the monument in the collective imagination, far beyond its original megalithic function.

Archaeological and historical studies, such as those of Amédée de Caix de Saint-Aymour or CNRS inventories, highlight its heritage interest. The menhir is now protected and located precisely at 100 Rue de Vaureal in Cergy. Its state of conservation, despite past alterations, makes it a rare testimony of prehistoric constructions in Île-de-France. The sources, including Wikipedia, Monumentum and the departmental archives, confirm its status as an emblematic monument of the Val-d的Oise.

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