A cairn is a heap of stones which usually takes the shape of a small pyramid or of a cone ; this is the landmark of the mountain people in the absence of any path, a quite useful landmark when the weather is foggy. The hikers have the habit of taking part in the upkeep of the cairns by adding a stone. The cairn is the living ancestor of painted road signs.

In Donezan, we have cairns of another style : they are round, 2 meters high and topped by a 2 meter long beam...

They date back to the end of the 19 th Century and owe their edification to the historical particularities of the Donezan. This ancient Catalan territory, which was acquired by the Count of Foix in the 13 th Century, was incorporated into the new Department of Ariège after 1789. The land was then separated from its Prefecture, Foix, by a pass, the Pailhères pass, which reaches 2001 meters at its highest point and which is therefore difficult to access for much of the year. The Prefecture postman had to go, in great danger, in summer as in winter, over this pass swept by the winds, and it was for him that the cairns were built. Unfortunately, some of these courageous officials lost their life there...

These cairns were restored by the Community of the Donezan villages in partnership with the next village of Ascou in the frame of the pluriannual program of Patrimony improvement and conservation.