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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Rise Stone of Poitiers is a dolmen dated Neolithic, located in the town of Poitiers. This megalithic monument, known from ancient times, was crossed by the Roman way from Lemonum (Poitiers) to Lugdunum (Lyon). From the Middle Ages, it is mentioned in texts under various names, such as Petra-Levata (1299) or Petra-Suspensa super Dubiam (1322), indicating its location in the Dunes district. His history is marked by medieval descriptions and fanciful representations, such as Georg Braun's Civitates orbis terrarum, where cartographers like Gerardus Mercator engraved their names in 1560.

In the 16th century, Rabelais evokes the Stone raised in Pantagruel, attributing its creation to the giant who would have ripped it up to make it a banquet table for Poitevin students. This legend, mixed with local folklore, persists in student traditions, such as the Bitards' initiatory journey, a brotherhood claiming Rabelais. The dolmen, classified as a historical monument in 1862, was also associated with miraculous accounts, such as that of Saint Radegonde, who would have carried the stone on his head before it was partially destroyed by the devil.

The monument, now ruined, was made up of limestone slabs measuring about 6 meters long by 3 wide, with a roof table once resting on nine pillars. A two-branched axe sculpture adorns its upper face. Although no archaeological material is associated with him, his history is mixed with that of the city, as evidenced by the proximity of the ancient prison called the Rivée Stone. In 2007, its property was transferred from the State to the municipality of Poitiers.

Ranked in 1862, the dolmen and its adjoining land (classified in 1943) remain a symbol of Poitevin heritage. Historical descriptions, such as those of the Earl of Caylus in the 17th century or Abraham Golnitz in the early 17th century, highlight its cultural importance. The October Fair of Poitiers, once held nearby, even bore its name, illustrating its anchoring in local life. Today, he embodies both a neolithic vestige and a place full of legends, between history and collective imagination.

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