Roman milestone at Bruère-Allichamps marks the geographical center of France

The Roman mile marker of Bruère-Allichamps is a 3rd-century stone located at the intersection of the D2144 and D92 roads. It is a rare example of an ancient milestone indicating three different routes toward other stations of the city of the Bituriges Cubes, a Romanized Gallic people. The stone was later repurposed as a sarcophagus between the end of the 4th century and the 9th century.

The current monument consists of a small three-stepped platform supporting a pedestal and the milestone, which is crowned by a modern molded tablet. The stone itself is a block of limestone, where the original circular section can be seen under the marks made when it was transformed into a sarcophagus. It was arranged as a monumental column on the square of the former village of Bruère at the end of the 18th century, at which point it was supposed to mark the geographical center of France.

In 1757, the priest François Pajonnet discovered the stone in a field called Elisii Campi during excavations. This area was part of a vast Gallo-Roman and Merovingian necropolis near the priory of Saint-Étienne d'Allichamps. In 1799, the stone was transported to the square of the new commune of La Celle-Bruère at the initiative of Béthune-Charost.

The milestone is included on a list of protected milestones. A plaque added on May 23, 1950, by the Touring Club de France notes that tradition designates this monument as the geographical center of France. The Latin inscription at the top of the column mentions Maximin the Thrace, who led a policy of road restoration in Aquitaine and Lyonnaise, particularly among the Bituriges Cubi.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons