Legend says this stone grows every year. We are standing before the Menhir dit la Pierre-Fouret. It is also known as Pierre du Fourey. Some call it the Menhir of Gency. Others know it as Palet-de-Gargantua. This menhir stands in Cergy in the Val-d’Oise department.
The Pierre-Fouret has a history stretching back centuries. A Cergy census from the 15th century mentions it. Back then, it was known as Pierre des Sarrazins. The Menhir dit la Pierre-Fouret has been a classified historical monument since 1889.
The Pierre-Fouret consists of a soft sandstone slab. It is shaped like a disc. The slab is 3.80 meters high. It is 5.40 meters wide at its maximum. Its average thickness is about 0.50 meters.
Local folklore connects this stone to Gargantua. Gargantua is a giant with a huge appetite. The stone is even called Palet de Gargantua. The legend says that the Pierre-Fouret grows each year.
Amédée de Caix de Saint-Aymour noted some damage. Quarrymen damaged the menhir in the 19th century. They wanted to turn it into paving stones. But they gave up due to the stone’s insufficient hardness.
You can find the Menhir dit la Pierre-Fouret at 57 rue de Vauréal in Gency. It is within an area enclosed by a retirement home. You can also see it from the street through the trees. The Pierre-Fouret, a silent witness to history, continues to fascinate. It connects us to the folklore of the past.