Menhir d'Aire-Peyronne, Menhir in Saint-Raphaël, France
The menhir d'Aire-Peyronne is an upright stone made of red porphyry that rises from the hillsides above Saint-Raphaël. This structure stands roughly 1.83 meters tall and 0.50 meters wide, positioned near a mountain pass in a region where blue porphyry stones shape the landscape.
This megalithic stone dates to the Neolithic period, over 5000 years ago, when people raised such stones for rituals and burials. In 1910 it received formal protection as a historical monument, ensuring its preservation for future generations.
The south-east face of the menhir carries 122 cup marks, small hollows pecked into the red porphyry. They are the only decoration on the stone, and no inscription or carving accompanies them. Visitors can pick them out on the face turned away from the pass.
This stone is accessible via a marked blue trail from the Cap Esterel parking area, with a walk of roughly 30 minutes. Visitors should know the route passes through woodland and requires decent footwear and some time for hiking.
The menhir stands at 102 metres altitude near a pass between Boulouris and Agay, at the lieu-dit of Aire-Peyronne. Its 1.83-metre block of fine-grained red porphyry sits within a zone of coarse blue porphyry, so the stone's colour comes from a different rock than the surrounding outcrops.
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