A nearly five-metre granite megalith in Cenicientos, dedicated to the Roman goddess Diana, has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest by the Madrid regional government. The site recently sustained damage from fires that swept through the Community of Madrid.
Known as Piedra Escrita, the monument is classified as a Zone of Archaeological Interest and sits in a rural landscape of granite outcroppings away from the town centre. Researchers identify it as a rupestrian oratory carved from natural rock, serving as a rural sanctuary, or sacellum, consecrated to Diana. It also marked the eastern border between the Roman provinces of Lusitania and Citerior. A carved bear claw on the rear of the stone is interpreted as a sign of nearby sacred forests.
The southeast face is divided into three sections. The upper portion ends in a semicircular, shell-like form. The central section carries three carved figures: a man and a woman performing a sacrifice at an altar before a larger figure identified as Diana, goddess of forests and the hunt. Below them, two eroded reclining animals are thought to represent a goat and a bull, interpreted as offerings to the deity.
A second granite rock, nine metres from the main stone, resembles a verraco, a bull-shaped form associated with ancient Vetton culture. Unlike the main megalith, it appears to have been moved from its original position and is propped with smaller stones on its southern flank.
