The monumental dolmen of the Pierre aux fées in Reignier

The Pierre des morts, also known as Pierre aux fées, is a dolmen located near the hameau de Saint-Ange in Reignier, France. It is an archaeological site that dates back to a period between -3 200 and -2 800 before our era.

The site is a morainic region, where large stones were left by retreating glaciers. The Pierre-aux-Fées dolmen was first mentioned in 1819 as a druidic altar, though it is likely much older. According to old testimony, the dolmen may have been partially covered by the remains of a tumulus.

The dolmen is oriented to the east and consists of a large table, supported by three orthostates. The table is made of Mont-Blanc granite and measures 4.90 meters in length, 4.30 meters in width, and up to 1.20 meters in thickness, for a total volume of 15.04 cubic meters. The table's interior surface has been flattened and features barded grooves ranging from 0.30 m to 0.50 m in width for a maximum depth of 5 cm, drawing a trapezoidal shape.

The orthostates measure about 2 meters wide, all of which have a rectilinear lateral edge that has been worked. The pillars on the north and south sides have a vertical groove on their inner surface, about 0.30 m wide and 3 cm deep, obtained by bouchardage, located directly below the grooves of the cover table. The north pillar has a second vertical groove, 0.20 m wide and 6 cm deep. However, the upper edges of the orthostates do not fit perfectly into the grooves of the table. It could be a reuse of slabs previously shaped for another larger monument.

The college of Pierre-aux-Fées in Reignier is named after the dolmen. Three pillars are missing on the north, south, and east sides. The missing pillars, possibly of large size, were recovered, without causing the collapse of the structure, at an unknown time. A small, quadrangular block is located in the center of the chamber.

Two other elongated slabs are visible to the east of the building. Both have an irregular bulging face and a flatter face. These characteristics result from the cleavage plane of the rock rather than intentional shaping. Since their upper edges are irregular, they could not be pillars supporting a table, but could instead correspond to two antennae, a type of construction frequent in Valaisan dolmens.

The table cover, the three orthostates, and two flat slabs on the ground are made of Mont-Blanc granite (protogine), while other slabs are of varied nature. The site architecture has not undergone significant changes since the mid-19th century, but the soil has undergone a decasing of between 0.30 m and 0.60 m. These amendment works were carried out after the site's classification and were intended to improve the monument's visibility.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons