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Origin and history

The menhir says La Pierre au salt, also named Menhir de la Grande Moinie or Menhir du Moulin Verdon, is a megalithic monument erected during the Neolithic period. Located on the commune of Maulévrier (Maine-et-Loire), it is carved in local granite called "des Aubiers". With a height of between 3.10 m (north side) and 3.30 m (south side), it is one of the few megalithic remains still standing in the area. According to 19th-century observations reported by Spal, several other lying menhirs once surrounded, now disappeared.

Ranked as historical monuments by order of 13 May 1975, this menhir illustrates the importance of megalithic sites in Anjou. Its name, Salt Stone, could evoke ancient practices related to salt exploitation or rituals, although sources do not specify this origin. The monument is referenced in the Merimée base under code PA00109195, and its exact location is reported to La Grande Moinie, the so-called Maulévrier place.

The research conducted by Michel Gruet in Mégalithes en Anjou (2005) confirms his membership in a larger megalithic ensemble, now largely extinct. The menhir is distinguished by its remarkable state of conservation, contrasting with the disappearance of the other erect stones mentioned in the nineteenth century. No recent archaeological excavations are documented in available sources, limiting knowledge of its precise use or Neolithic cultural context.

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