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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

La Pierre de la Croterie, also known as Le Chevanou, is a menhir located in the hamlet of La Croterie, about 4 km northwest of the centre of Chauvé, in the Loire-Atlantique. This block of sandstone, measuring 4.10 m high for a base of 3.30 m wide, is a megalithic vestige typical of the region. A second block, smaller and now lying at his feet, would have been detached when he was transported to another site.

The Menhir was registered as a historical monument by order of 2 May 1989, thereby recognizing its heritage value. Although its exact origin and precise dating remain unknown, it is part of the landscape of the megalithic sites of Loire-Atlantique, evoked in works such as the Archaeological Dictionary of the Loire-Inferior (1882) by Pitre de Lisle du Dreneuc.

This type of monument, common in western France, was probably linked to cultural or religious practices in prehistoric societies. Menhirs, often isolated or grouped, marked symbolic places, although their exact function remains debated by archaeologists. The Stone of the Crotery illustrates this local megalithic tradition, now protected for its rarity and age.

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