Couhard Stone (Pierre de Couhard)
A mysterious Roman pyramid on the hillside above Autun, with a wide view over the town.
- Heritage site
- 47 min from Beaune
- Allow 1 hour
- Autun
€165one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Official website
- autun-tourisme.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 47 min by road (53 km), €165 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
On a wooded slope south-east of Autun stands the stone core of a Roman pyramid, known as the Pierre de Couhard. It rose in one of the cemeteries of Augustodunum and was most likely a tomb or a monument to the dead. The walk up to it rewards you with a view over the whole city.
What you will see
The pyramid stands in a clearing at the hamlet of Couhard. You can walk all the way round it and look into the hole cut in 1640. From the viewpoint, Autun spreads out below, with the cathedral spire rising above the roofs. Keen walkers can follow the marked trail into the Montmain forest, past the Brisecou waterfall, to the Croix de la Libération, a higher viewpoint over the town.
History
Roman towns buried their dead outside the walls, and the pyramid stood in a large burial ground known as the Champ des Urnes. It probably dates from the 1st century. What survives is the inner core of mortared rubble, about 22 metres high on a square base 10.5 metres wide. It was once covered with a regular stone facing, now lost, and is thought to have reached around 33 metres.
The monument has long puzzled scholars. In 1640 a digger opened a hole in its side, hoping to find a burial chamber, but the structure proved to be solid. Later soundings in the 19th century found nothing either. In 1960 a lead curse tablet of the 2nd century, inscribed in Latin and Greek, was found at its base. The pyramid was on the first list of historic monuments in 1840.
Planning your visit
Tips for your visit
Couhard is a few minutes by car from the town centre, and the pyramid is reached on foot from the hamlet. The longer forest loop needs walking shoes and a couple of hours. The site is open ground with no facilities. Combine it with the cathedral and the Roman theatre for a rewarding half day in Autun.
Around here
What to combine with Couhard Stone on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
Couhard Stone is about 47 min from Beaune by road (53 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €165 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? A 17th-century story of a gold medal honouring the druids, supposedly found here, led many to believe the pyramid was the tomb of the Aeduan druid Diviciacus.
Sources
Couhard Stone with a private driver
€165 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests