Arçay

Nestled at the foot of the Marcoux hill, Arçay offers a transition between the chalky hillsides and the cultivated plain of the groie lands (top and stony soil, reddish brown). The traditional habitat of the village hesitates between tufa and galuche stone.
The Loudunais contains many vestiges of ancient civilizations including the dolmen of Briande, located in Chassigny. The excavations uncovered human bones, fragments of carved flint. The galuche is a hard, fine-grained, white limestone. In Arçay, this stone is also called «cosse». For the Poitevins, any flat stone is called «galuche». Tufa is a very chalky limestone, soft, white or yellow, excellent for carving.