The cromlech of Perillos

 

In preceding pages, we have shown that the landscape of Perillos incorporates a highly worked-out setting, which most experts have described as “sacred geography”, in which mainly churches are carefully positioned so that they relate to other features of the landscape, such as caves, mountain tops, springs, etc. As such landscape design was typical of pre-Christian communities, we need to date those of Perillos to that same era. In the preceding pages, we noted that position of the churches and their orientation are currently the best reminders of the village’s pagan past.

The crowned perimeter

Old documents and topographical files (for example a statement relating to the presence of mines in the region, held on file by the Departmental authorities) speak of a perimeter of Perillos that is delimited by stones. There are 14 of these stones and they are described as oratories and other religious markings. They thus form a true Way of the Cross, which in this case is not depicted on the walls of a church, but around the perimeter of Perillos. Unfortunately, on the ground, no traces of these no doubt small and definitely ancient markers can now be found.
This total disappearance is in itself already a curious fact. Though some monuments must definitely have fallen foul of the test of time, it is remarkable that not a single monument has survived. For some reason, they stood for centuries, still stood in the 19th century, but now, they have all gone… and almost at the same time, i.e. roughly within the last century, without leaving the slightest trace. Or to be most precise: of the fourteen locations, we inspected all fourteen and on only two did we find the bases of the monuments, but even then, these were totally broken up into pieces. Why?

Stations of the Cross on a large scale?

To find Stations of the Cross delimiting the borders of a territory is not common. One can suspect that this setting was used for a religious feast, most likely a pilgrimage, whereby the congregation, led by a priest, would walk around the perimeter of the territory, visiting each station, at which no doubt prayers were said. It is known that there were at least two pilgrimages in Perillos, but there is no evidence so far that one of them incorporated these fourteen stations. One, we know, went to the St Barbara chapel and the second to the “Oursu” cave. In the archives of the church of Perillos, dating back the beginning of the 18th century, there is no mention of a pilgrimage visiting these fourteen stations on the land’s perimeter.
We argue that these Stations of the Cross were a replacement of a pagan structure. As such, they were present as they had to mask pagan sites of religious importance. Though they ended up as Stations of the Cross and thus part of a pilgrimage, it suggests it was never intended to be a real pilgrimage; covering up the pagan past was their primary if not sole purpose. Furthermore, if they ever were part of a pilgrimage, it would be an extremely long one, taking more than one day to complete. And let us note that in some areas, the area is barely passable, which would have thrown up a severe challenge for the old and the young of the community.

Historical analogies

The borders of a territory were always regarded as very special. They were under constant monitoring, as they normally had to be defended manu militari. In some cases, specific crossing points were allowed. But the perimeter of a territory also has an important religious meaning. The perimeter of a sacred precinct – e.g. the walls of a church – marks the border between the sacred and the profane. When it comes to examples similar to Perillos, there are historical examples, most of which are magical rites: we have the famous examples of Troy, as well as the Ark of the Covenant being circumambulated around Jericho, etc.
But the era which interests us here most is that of ancient Egypt: the era of Akhenaten and the construction of his new capital, Akhetaten. He made sure that his new capital would be positioned in an exact location, and with specific dimensions. The remains of this city were investigated by Egyptologists, who found that the foundation of the city incorporated the construction of 14 boundary stones that marked the perimeter of the city. We note the precise number of 14 here, similar to those of Perillos. Magical ceremonies were performed at each, to “strengthen” them in their magical protection of the sacred perimeter within.
Such border stones were also known to the Celts, who used the standing stones which they found as an inheritance of the Megalithic Civilisation as border stones between the various tribes. Even during medieval times, there are many known examples of “foundation stones”, which were normally placed in the centre of the city, from which distances were measured out.

The “Perillos” stones?

One must ask the question whether the 14 stones of the Way of the Cross, on the borders of Perillos, were Christian substitutions of a megalithic delimitation. For if they truly were Stations of the Cross, why did they not appear more prominently in the Christian life of the community, e.g. by organising pilgrimages or find that one family was specifically devoted to one particular shrine – perhaps even placed in charge of its maintenance? In Perillos, there are no such traces to be found.

What we do find, in the valley below Perillos, is an enigmatic stone, which opens up new lines of research and leaves us with some questions. This stone is limestone, and thus local to Perillos. It appears to have nothing out of the ordinary, nothing to distinguish it from the so many other scattered stones that are everywhere. But a closer inspection will show that this rock is different from the rest, as it seems that the outline of the stone is that of a human face, with an open mouth. It is clear that the stone is not sculpted, but the face is remarkably there, sculpted by nature itself… In pagan days, these stones were often set aside as sacred, as they were deemed to have been sculpted by the gods themselves. Such artwork is now described as “subliminal”, though often, such as in certain Palaeolithic caves, the design was stressed e.g. by the addition of a telling line. Mankind thus “accentuated” God’s handiwork.

Such stones were intended to mark out or protect the border of a territory (let us also remember the stone faces on a standing stone in Flat, in the Pilat region, as well as a similar stone in the Lake District, England). They were often decorated with a face; the Greeks called these “Hermai”, as they were dedicated to Hermes (Mercurius). Often, these “watchers” or “protectors” had the shape of a stone with on top a carved head. Such a megalith has also been found on the territory of Rennes-les-Bains, by the local priest, Henri Boudet, a man who is part and parcel of the mystery of the neighbouring village, Rennes-le-Château. He detached the head from the stone and incorporated the head in the wall of his presbytery.

The “Perillos stone” as we shall now call it (though it is actually more closely situated towards the Siège de la Mourtre than the village itself) also has one line of signs that look like engravings. If they are human markings, they may be a protective spell, which would thus be in common with similar boundary stones elsewhere. One expert in languages has stated that the language is that of a forgotten Hebraic tongue, which was only used in special circumstances.

The cromlech

Normally, cromlechs are circles or ovals of large stones. The best known example is Stonehenge, though its structure is atypical of the norm. In theory, they measure between a few metres and, for the largest ones, a few hundred meters. We do note, however, that Henri Boudet in The True Celtic Language, he writes about a cromlech of Rennes-les-Bains. Boudet argues that the entire village – to be precise: the borders of the village – are defined by a series of megalithic stones in the form of a cromlech.
It becomes intriguing when we note that when we try to locate this “megalithic circle” on the ground, there is hardly anything to be found in situ of this supposed stone circle, which would be several kilometres in diameter, let alone in circumference. Was the cromlech, as many have argued, an accumulation of stupidities and/or the fruit of his feverish imagination? But could the book perhaps also be an indication – an index – to orient the reader to another place? Finally, let us note that that region, near Les Pontils, in Arques (Peyrolles to be exact), close to the so-called “Tomb of Arques”, has a genuine megalithic stone, the so-called “Pierre Droite”.

Researchers no longer talk about the cromlech of Rennes-les-Bains. At most, there is some discussion about certain intriguing stones, such as the “Devil’s Armchair”, which sits on top of the village. Nearby, Boudet had identified a series of natural stones as part of the cromlech. But did Boudet perhaps believe that Rennes-les-Bains was surrounded by a circle of protective stones, which created a magical circle? If he did, since, it has become clear that the existence of this cromlech has become doubtful.
Let us, however, conclude with one observation: Boudet was well-versed in English and proficient in archaeology. He must have heard about Stonehenge and most likely about the stone circle of Avebury, the latter of which is so large that an entire village sits inside it. Could Boudet have had a revelation about the presence of such circles in the local layout, as well as that of Perillos? We note that Boudet was once the priest of Durban, which at the time also incorporated the community of Perillos. In short, Boudet would say mass in Perillos and would have the archives of the church at his disposal. Did he consult these and did he realise that the presence of the Stations of the Cross on its perimeter were a remnant of a “Celtic design”, which was his prime interest? It is impossible to prove, but it is nevertheless an intriguing possibility… If so, it may have made him wonder why such a protective ring was present in Perillos, and whether the sacred space inside was perhaps still deemed to be sacred by some… or may even have still retained sacred relics…

Filip Coppens & André Douzet