Le Verziau de Gargantua at Bois-lès-Pargny

The verziau of Gargantua (or vierzeux of Gargantua), also known as Haute-Borne, is a menhir at Bois-lès-Pargny in Aisne, France.[1]

Description

This is a monolith of hard sandstone 4.35 meters high and 1.50 m wide.[2] This stone is chipped at the top, retains its base width to about half of its height, and tapers to its upper end, just over a meter wide

Location

The menhir is north of the town of Bois-lès-Pargny, a few meters from a small copse, near Sons-et-Ronchères.

History

At the beginning of the 19th century, the menhir had a twin sister, which was destroyed to extract a large amount of sandstone. It is claimed that the depth of the menhir below the ground is the same as its above-ground height, giving a total height of 9 meters.[2] It is likely that this menhir came from the nearby forest of Berjaumont, where the blocks of sandstone are quite numerous. It must have been rolled onto this hill by a large number of men. Legend has it that a man of immense size was using it to sharpen his scythe, and left the rock on the site in a gesture of anger.

The monument was listed as a monument historique in 1889.[1]

Appendices

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Base Mérimée: Menhir dit Le Verziau de Gargantua, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. 1 2 Bulletin de la Société archéologique et historique de Vervins et de la Thiérache, Volume 21, page 28.

49°45′04″N 3°39′16″E / 49.750991°N 3.654529°E / 49.750991; 3.654529

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