St Marcel's cupule stone

A remarkable cupstone rich in inscriptions. The view of the valley and the Saint-Jacques chapel from the plateau is stunning.

The Roche de la Pérouse is located in a pasture above the Manoir de la Pérouse, at an altitude of 760 m, below the Rocher du Siaix.

It bears the marks of glacial striations.
The rock is located on a flat area that could have been used as a meeting place. It was here that the location of the Ceutrons (a Celtic people) prior to the attack by the Roman procurator recounted in the Irnec legend was defined.

The engravings are of the polishing, staking and incising type and have been inventoried as follows:
- 176 gemellated cupules, elongated, disordered and bound.
- 6 cruciforms: T-shaped branches, Christian symbol.
- 1 stelliform
- meandriform representation
- zoomorphic: pisciform
- inscriptions in figures.

150 metres to the west of this is another rock, also polished by a glacial event at an altitude of 800 m on the edge of the old mule track from Saint-Marcel to Montgirod. It marks the boundary between the 2 communes. 16 cupules have been recorded, 2 crosses bearing the dates 16BE97 and 1936.

The etymology of the word cupule comes from the Latin for ‘small cup’. It refers to cavities cut into prehistoric or megalithic rocks.
Their origin is attributed to mechanical and chemical erosion caused by the almost permanent presence of rainwater or run-off. The stagnant water in the caves has a very low pH and is therefore corrosive. As a result of this extremely slow process over time, several neighbouring cupules can be eroded.