Le Menhir de la Cathédrale du Mans

Erected between 4000 and 5000 BC on this site in Vieux-Mans (now the Cité Plantagenêt), the menhir is the oldest witness to the history of Manche.

This raised stone, long considered to be the "navel" of Le Mans, has been the object of various cults making it the centre of the universe or a symbol of fertility. A pagan sign, it was saved from destruction by Saint-Julien, who came to Christianise Le Mans in the 4th century. The monk is said to have topped it with a cross, which has since disappeared. The menhir was attached to the cathedral when it was built. It is the last remaining evidence of a place where other sacred stones once stood.