Review by one of the founders of the Société d'études Scientifiques de l'Aude Germain SICARD.

NOTE ON The cave Crosses of the Corbières

Walking through the area of the High Corbières, in the valleys watered by the Sais, Agly and the Verdouble, one can notice on the slopes and engraved on rocks many crosses of all shapes, which [we] have not yet revealed why they exist.

Three of these groups are reported on, the first two in the account of our excursions in these parts, published in the Bulletin of the Scientific Research Society, Volume XXVIII, page 12.

One of these groups is to Rouffiac-des-Corbières, the second in Camps, at col de Kandès, below the hamlet of Capitaines, on the left bank of the Agly at a place called Serrat das tretze Croux.

There are engraved crosses are here on scattered boulders in the bush. Some are just figured by two lines intersecting at angles more or less straight, other, rarer, [taking] the shape of a Maltese cross or Greek cross.

One wonders why these religious signs are here and arranged without order and engraved on simple stone masses: the mystery still reigns on this, and here we can not accept the reason that the Christian emblem is on a number of menhirs or peulvans is to sanctify and consecrated to destroy the pagan superstitions to which they gave rise. Of these stones most are carved menhirs, usually carrying crosses engraved on the sides; the stones in the market town of Plouharnel near Carnac (Morbihan), belong to these types.

The role of these crosses could apply to cross engraved on rocks, designated more or less exactly as the menhirs, which are part of the third group, located within the perimeter of Rennes-les-Bains. M. Boudet, pastor of this locality, in his curious and eclectic book published in 1884 (Imprimerie Pomiès, à Carcassonne) pointed them out by giving them a fanciful interpretation, as he did also for all megaliths he believed he could see the surrounding area.

In this book, "True Celtic language" and on which we will refrain from expressing an opinion, we see several rock crosses indicated & we quote below:

1 At the turn of the road in front of Serres village is a rock that bears a stone cross and where once we saw a similar Greek cross to those that currently exist at the Cap de l'Homme mort and near the Rocher Branlant (page 229).

2. A small engraved cross at  col de Cugurou, below large round stones carried on the rocky base. Nearby is a borne showing the separation of Coustaussa and Rennes-les-Bains. This borne carries on the face that faces the side to Coustaussa a shield of the Lord of Coustaussa; on the opposite side, the lord of Rennes.

3. We see a cross on a rock in the tenement which still bears the  name of cap de l'homme where was carved in relief a figure of Christ. This sculpture is said to be now in the possession of M. Caillot à Alet (Note de M. l'abbé Boudet, page 394).

4. On the left, opposite the Spa and its parish church is discovered on the surrounding rocks Greek crosses deeply etched by the chisel and measuring 0 m. 30 to 0 m. 35. These crosses with equal arms are five in number on this point.

5. A sixth Greek cross on a large rock, is quite far from the cap de l'Homme, on the edge of the south ridge, leading to the field called pla de la Coste, on the other side of the Las breychos stream (fairy).

6. We still see two other Greek crosses always set in stone, following the edge of the plateau, to the head of the hill bearing the name of Ilette.

At a place called Las Crosses near Montferrand, the crosses that were to be engraved disappeared under the [a] heap of stones. (True Celtic language, pages 252 and following).

7 Lastly, page 245, the description of an alleged dolmen is only an accident produced by a rockslide, the author points out, directly above a rock bearing the crest of an engraved Greek cross. It is the largest of all those, he says, which is why it has been given recognition.

By bringing these facts to the attention of our fellow scholars of Rennes-les-Bains, it will be possible to verify the assertions contained in the aforementioned book, and recognize may be some errors due to the powerful imagination of the author and his little knowledge of modern prehistoric studies.

Abbe Boudet, after reporting around Rennes-les-Bains countless menhirs, on page 244 says: "It may seem surprising [that we?] will not meet any of these Celtic dolmen monuments" (as the venerable abbot considers always megaliths as Gallic monuments). "We found five on the slopes of Serbaïrou & two at Roukats". The most remarkable that has been quoted/cited and featured in the book is just a weird rock fall, forming a promontory on the left bank of the Sals in front Borde Neuve, below cracked rocks containing ancient galleries & mines.

Thus, at Caunes, near Notre-Dame du Cros, Louis Béziat, in his history of the abbey of Caunes, reported a dolmen which is none other than a large rectangular block of stone fallen from the steep face of the mountain.

Others indicated that dolmens are to see and identify, and despite what the venerable author of The True Celtic Language says, all dolmens are only burials from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic era. It is most unfortunate that the author supports his assertions on vague and arbitrary etymologies, of which he pulls fanciful evidence and does not cite it in his any ancient authors, having no idea of the science of prehistory, & relies only on the issue of extension book "Primitive Man" by Louis Figuier, and takes no account of the works published before 1884 in Tournai, Filhol, Mortillet, Cartailliac and other masters of this new science.

Rivière, March 13, 1927.

Germain SICARD.

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