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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Menhir de Ceinturat is an emblematic megalithic monument located in the commune of Cieux, in the department of Haute-Vienne (Nouvelle-Aquitaine). With a visible height of 5.10 meters and a 2 meters buried part, it is the largest menhir in the department. Its erection dates back to the Neolithic period, marked by the rise of agriculture and the first monumental stone constructions.

Ranked as historical monuments in 1889, this menhir is associated with several local legends. One of them says that the bride and groom have to throw a stone on a cornice at a height of 3.6 meters to unite in the year. Another legend attributes to the menhir the power to make sterile women fertile if a piece thrown back on their body. Finally, a Christian tradition affirms that this block of granite would be a petrified quail, abandoned by the Blessed Virgin and transformed by God.

The Menhir de Ceinturat is located near the hamlet of the same name, 1,600 meters northwest of the Menhir d'Arnac. It shows the importance of megalithic sites in the Blond Mountains, an area rich in prehistoric remains. Its early classification in 1889 emphasized its heritage and archaeological value, while anchoring its role in popular narratives and local beliefs.

Available sources, including references to the Merimée base and local items, confirm its status as a protected monument and its precise location in the town of Cieux (code Insee 87045). Menhir remains a tourist and historical point of interest, illustrating both the funeral or symbolic practices of Neolithic and the persistence of oral traditions in Limousin.

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