The history of the crosses of Crozant remains an enigma despite extensive research by several enthusiasts

Will the crosses of Crozant one day reveal their secrets? Noëlle Bertrand, historian, former history teacher at the Pierre-Bourdan high school in Guéret and member of the science society, sheds light on this.

Crozant is not only known for its fortress, the Hôtel Lépinat - its interpretation centre for Impressionist painters - but also for its picturesque paths where numerous crosses have been discovered since the 1990s.

These crosses can be found within a radius of 10 km from Crozant. 35 have been identified in the commune of Crozant and 17 in neighbouring communes. Carved from a single block of granite, they are not decorated in any way, says Noëlle Bertrand, historian, former history teacher at the Pierre-Bourdan high school in Guéret and member of the Natural, Archaeological and Historical Sciences Society of the Creuse.

Unanswered questions

From her meeting with Pierre Barbaud, a former teacher at Saint-Sébastien, as well as with many other "watchmen" of these small crosses, many questions were raised on the subject: are they to be found elsewhere than in Crozant, than in Creuse? How can their location and interest be explained? To which period can they be linked? Noëlle Bertrand formulates a number of hypotheses. "Nowhere in France are there so many crosses of this type. They can be found in the Vexin, in Franche-Comté and in Brittany, but not with such a high density of settlements. In Creuse, the last cross was found in the commune of Bazelat, a short time ago.