MENHIR DE LA CRULIÈRE

The Crulière menhir is a megalith that was classified as a Historic Monument on 18 February 1934. It is also known as the "Devil's Stone".

Dating from the Neolithic period, it bears witness to human occupation of the coastline from prehistoric times. It is pyramidal in shape and made up mainly of white quartz. It is around 2.30 m high, 1.15 m thick with a wide base of around 2.25 m, and weighs over 8 tonnes.
According to one of the legends, a fat 15-year-old boy and his cow, having given themselves to the devil, were crushed under this enormous block, thrown by Satan's arm.

This menhir, which bears witness to prehistoric human occupation in the commune of Brem-sur-Mer, is nicknamed "La Pierre du Diable" (the Devil's Stone) by the locals in reference to several legends, including the following:

The story takes place in the 6th century, when the evangelisation of the villages continued unabated. To carry out this task, missionaries were hard at work, including Abbot Martin de Vertou, who regularly preached on the Vendée coast. Settled in a hermitage near Notre-Dame de Monts, Abbé Martin saw the Ile d'Yeu in the distance and wondered how he could go and preach the Gospel to the inhabitants of this island when the Devil appeared.
The devil suggested to Abbé Martin that he build a bridge in one night for a very low price, paying the first soul to cross the bridge. The abbot accepts, on the sole condition that the bridge is completed before the cock crows. Immediately, an army of imps and leprechauns began building the bridge. The cunning devil then decided to get the cockerel drunk to give his team time to finish the job.
The rooster drank far too much Brem wine that night and began crowing without a care in the world. The imps were surprised and abandoned the site. Stone rained down on the whole region, including the Crulière area.