Verziau of Gargantua
The verziau of Gargantua (or vierzeux of Gargantua), also known as Haute-Borne, is a menhir at Bois-lès-Pargny in France.[1]
Description
This is a monolith of hard sandstone 4 meters high and 35 1 m 50 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 just far enough wood nearby Berjaumont, where the blocks of sandstone are quite numerous and rolled by a large number of men, it happened on this hill. 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
References
- The Verziau of Gargantua on the Minister of Culture website
- Bulletin de la Société archéologique et historique de Vervins et de la Thiérache, Volume 21, page 28.