Saint Martin's day of Le Vilhain and the Chevriau stone

Occupied permanently since the Gallic time, this village had to be a strategic place thanks to its climax (414 m) and largely released, it indeed makes it possible to see the chain of Puys, Puy de Dôme, but also, (to be checked) the tower of the cathedral of Bourges and 35 bell-towers of villages. During the one hundred year old war and the English occupation, it played a great part of monitoring in the attacks conducted on the Castle of Hedgehog.
Many objects dating from prehistory were found, proving the old origin of the village, as well as Gallo-Roman vestiges. The existence of a feudal Castle on the current place of the church is proven by old texts (1304) and probably that of a convent. The church, built in XIIème century would have been built by templiers, on the orders of Archambaud VI.

This church released well in the middle of a place on which one also emphasized a menhir, is made up of a Gothic chorus with sides and a nave of three Romance spans; the sides are arched in half-cradle or quadrant, thus conferring much solidity on the unit, which remains nevertheless harmonious and homogeneous.

The Western door opens on a polylobé tympanum (formed of small juxtaposed arcs), surmounted mouldings falling down on posts via capitals. This unit, which is not without pointing out that of the church of Urçay, perhaps states that Vilhain was also located on the way of Jacques Saint.

Menhir of Vilhain

The Chevriau stone of Vilhain is a menhir. High 4,56 m, broad, it 1,48 m was lying before in edge of the road of Vilhain with Hérisson, close from a point of view. It was raised in 1985 and was placed on the place of the church of Vilhain.

The abbot Charles-Antoine-Marie Bordelle, former priest of Vilhain in second half of the 19th century wrote in connection with this stone: “the top is not completely flat; there is like species of rises graduated, which had to be made purposely, to make run the blood of the victims. It always bore the name of Pierre Chevriau or Chevau, it is probable that it preserved the name of the victims which one generally immolait: kids and horses”…

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