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Polissoir fixed dit La Pierre Saint-Martin à Luzillé en Indre-et-Loire

Patrimoine classé
Mégalithes
Polissoir
Indre-et-Loire

Polissoir fixed dit La Pierre Saint-Martin

    D80
    37150 Luzillé
Pierre Saint-Martin de Luzillé
Polissoir fixe dit La Pierre Saint-Martin
Polissoir fixe dit La Pierre Saint-Martin
Polissoir fixe dit La Pierre Saint-Martin
Polissoir fixe dit La Pierre Saint-Martin
Polissoir fixe dit La Pierre Saint-Martin
Crédit photo : Jean-Louis Ardoint - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Néolithique
Âge du Bronze
Âge du Fer
Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
4100 av. J.-C.
4000 av. J.-C.
0
1800
1900
2000
Néolithique
Use of polisher
1892
First sign
années 1910
Threat of destruction
1950
Proposed classification
29 septembre 1952
Historical monument classification
2011
Inventory of polishers
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

La Pierre Saint-Martin ( Box G 807 (3rd sheet) ) : classification by decree of 29 September 1952

Key figures

Gérard Cordier - Prehistorian and SAT member Initiator of the classification in 1952.
Jean-Claude Marquet - Archaeology Researcher Inventoria 14 polishers in 2011.
Jean Moreau - Local historian Studyed Martinian legends.
Martin de Tours (ou un disciple) - Associated religious figure Legend of "the donkey step".

Origin and history

The Pierre Saint-Martin, also known as Pierre du Pas de Saint-Martin, is a fixed polisher dated to Neolithic, located in the commune of Luzillé, in Indre-et-Loire. This megalith in sanded pudding, measuring 2.50 × 2 m at its base for 0.70 m height, has grooves and cups used for polishing flint tools. Neolithic flints, including polished axes, were found nearby, confirming its prehistoric artisanal use. The site also includes a nearby menhir, reflecting a wider local megalithic occupation.

The polisher is associated with an oral legend, "the legend of the sheaves", evoking Saint Martin de Tours or one of his disciples. According to this tradition, the marks on the stone would be the prints of the saint's donkey hoof, explaining his name. Three churches dedicated to Saint Martin nearby could strengthen this link. The stone, threatened with destruction at the beginning of the twentieth century, was saved in 1910 by the Société archéologique de Touraine (SAT), which purchased 60 francs before obtaining its classification as a historical monument in 1952.

Pierre Saint-Martin was first reported to SAT in 1892 by a local teacher. After years of negotiations, the company became the owner and preserved it. Prehistorian Gérard Cordier, a member of the SAT, played a key role in his classification in 1952. The site, still owned by the SAT, had degradations prior to 1950. Its appearance is comparable to other regional polishers, such as those of Brèches or Saint-Eliph.

In 1951, Gérard Cordier inventoria three other fixed polishers in Indre-et-Loire, a number increased to 14 in 2011 by Jean-Claude Marquet. These discoveries highlight the importance of the region in tool-sized neolithic practices. The stone, made of sandstone in its upper part, was ideal for polishing, while its cups could serve as water reserves. Today, it remains a material testimony of prehistoric craft techniques and later local beliefs.

The polisher is located 1.2 km southwest of the centre of Luzillé, in an eponymous place. Its classification in 1952 protects a rare element of the megalithic heritage, mixing neolithic technical heritage and medieval or modern reappropriation through the figure of Saint Martin. The stone thus illustrates the superimposition of historical strata, from prehistoric tools to hagiographic narratives.

External links