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Origin and history

The menhir of the Normandeau windmill is an iconic megalith located in La Renaudière, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire. Dated from Neolithic, this block of granite called "de Tiffauges" is 5.95 meters long. It is distinguished by its fusiform shape and a steep sloping at its top, probably caused by the fall of an adjacent fragment. Today lying on the ground, it is located 60 meters southeast of the windmill which gave it its name, and about 300 meters from another menhir, the Rise Stone of Charbonneau.

Ranked as historic monuments since 28 June 1983, this menhir bears witness to the ancient occupation of this territory. According to the sources, he has been in his current (couched) position since at least 1847. The rock used, typical of local outcrops, sometimes forms granite chaos in the vicinity, highlighting the link between this monument and the geological landscape of Anjou. Its present state and its precise location, near a mill today disappeared, make it an archaeological vestige both mysterious and representative of the megalithic practices of the region.

Bibliographic references, such as the book Megalithes en Anjou by Michel Gruet (2005), confirm its importance in the local megalithic heritage. Menhir is listed in the Merimée database under Cadastral code C 710, and its location, although considered "passible" (level 5/10) by sources, remains a point of interest for researchers and enthusiasts of prehistoric history. No information is available on its precise use or associated rituals, but its presence attests to human and symbolic activity during Neolithic in Anjou.

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