Dolmen de Peyrelevade, Dolmen in Poitiers, France
La Pierre Levée is a Neolithic limestone dolmen in Poitiers, France, standing in a small square on Rue du Dolmen. It is made of large flat slabs that once rested on upright stone pillars, forming what was likely a burial chamber.
La Pierre Levée dates from the Neolithic period, making it thousands of years old. It was first listed as a historical monument in 1862, and the surrounding land received the same protection in 1943.
La Pierre Levée is part of a student tradition in Poitiers known as the Confrérie des Bitards, which holds rituals and processions around the stone. Visitors can also spot names carved directly into the limestone, left by people who passed through over the centuries.
The site is freely accessible at any time and requires no guide, so visitors can explore at their own pace. It sits within the city of Poitiers and is easy to reach on foot from other parts of town.
Rabelais mentioned the stone in the 16th century through his character Pantagruel, who supposedly pulled the rock from a cliff to use as a table for the students of Poitiers. Around the same time, the geographers Mercator and Ortelius carved their names into it during a visit.
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