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Origin and history

The Peyro-Lebado, also known as the Menhir Statue of Lacaune or the Planted Stone, is a male statue-menhir of the Neolithic in Lacaune, Tarn, Occitanie. It belongs to the rouergat group and is distinguished by its imposing size: 4.50 m high for 9.3 tons, carved in a granite slab transported from a site 3 km away. Its engraved decor, though eroded, reveals anthropomorphic features (face, arms, legs) and attributes such as a decorated buckle belt, a shoulder harness and a ring. The stone, initially chosen for its flat faces, may have been reworked.

The history of Peyro-Lebado is marked by several human interventions. By 1821, an unfortunate search at his foot caused his inclination. In 1825, threatened with a fall, its consolidation was allowed, but it remained leaning until 1865, when it was reported to have been reversed. It was only in 1883, after its classification as historical monuments, that it was rectified by the Tarn Archaeological Commission. A second statue-menhir, discovered in 1822 near the Hole of Advent, was broken and reused at the Leucate mill, before being identified as the menhir of Laucate.

The statue-menhir is an exceptional testimony of the funeral and symbolic practices of Neolithic. Its erection, requiring complex transport on rough terrain, suggests an advanced social organization and remarkable technical mastery. The engravings, although deleted, evoke a male character adorned with ritual or statutory objects, perhaps reflecting an ancestral cult or social hierarchy. Its recovery in 1883, carried out in the presence of the justice of the peace because of its position at the intersection of four plots, also illustrates its importance as a territorial landmark.

In 1985, the Peyro-Lebado was cleaned of its lichens to preserve its residual engravings. Its current condition still allows to observe details such as notches related to its adjustment or traces of the belt and buckle. Ranked among the most remarkable statues-menhirs of Europe, it attracts the attention of archaeologists for its iconography and turbulent history, while remaining a symbol of the Tarn megalithic heritage.

Historical sources, including the works of Abbé Hermet (1898) and the bulletins of Castres's literary society, document its evolution since the 19th century. Recent studies, such as those of Marc Jarry or Michel Maillé, highlight his membership in the rouergat group and his role in understanding neolithic practices in Occitanie. Today, it remains an accessible monument, although its exact location is sometimes difficult to specify due to historical divisions.

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