Alignement coudé, dit de Croas-an-Teurec
MonumentHidden Treasure
Alignement coudé, dit de Croas-an-Teurec, located in Saint-Goazec (Département 29), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Saint-Goazec, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.1425, -3.7553
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090413
An enigmatic Neolithic vestige in Finistère, the Croas-an-Teurec bent alignment combines standing menhirs and a dolmenic chamber in a setting of wild Breton moors, listed as a Historic Monument since 1924.
History
Nestling in the wooded heights and moors of the commune of Saint-Goazec, in the heart of the Montagnes Noires (Black Mountains) of Finistère, the bent alignment of Croas-an-Teurec is one of the most unique megalithic complexes in inland Brittany. Its Breton name, which evokes the "crossroads of the mound" or "the cross of the mound", betrays its deep roots in the sacred and memorial geography of this Armorican land, where megalithism flourished with remarkable intensity during the Neolithic period. What sets Croas-an-Teurec apart from the multitude of other Breton megalithic sites is precisely its hybrid configuration: an alignment of standing stones with a characteristic bend in the line, combined with a dolmen integrated into the whole. This juxtaposition of a collective funerary monument and an alignment within the same complex suggests a ceremonial and spiritual organisation of rare sophistication, testifying to a ritual and symbolic use of the land. A visit to this little-visited area of Central Brittany is a striking experience. Far from the crowds that flock to Carnac or Locmariaquer, Croas-an-Teurec offers an intimate communion with prehistory. The standing stones, covered in golden and grey lichen, rise up from a vegetation of moorland and gorse that reinforces the feeling of permanence and mystery. The silence is disturbed only by the wind blowing down from the Montagnes Noires, the granite massif that forms the Finistère hinterland. The surrounding natural setting amplifies the emotional impact of the place. Saint-Goazec lies on the shores of Lake Saint-Michel, a vast artificial reservoir surrounded by forests, offering a landscape of great serenity that contrasts with the ruggedness of the thousand-year-old stones. Photographers and archaeology enthusiasts will find this an exceptional place to explore, off the beaten track of mass tourism.
Architecture
The Croas-an-Teurec complex comprises two distinct but complementary architectural elements: an alignment of menhirs with a marked angular inflection - the famous "elbow" - and an associated dolmen, whose granite burial chamber forms the sepulchral core of the complex. The menhirs, blocks of standing stone quarried from local granitic outcrops, vary in height and volume, according to a gradation principle frequently observed in Breton alignments. Some of them are probably two or three metres high, while others, more squat, line the alignment over a total length of several dozen metres. The dolmen in the complex are typical of collective Armorican Neolithic burials: a chamber made up of large orthostats - vertical granite slabs - topped by one or more covering tables. This type of structure, formerly covered by a mound of earth and stones, of which only traces remain, was used to deposit the bone remains of several deceased, sometimes over several generations. The local granite, a favoured material in this part of the Black Mountains, is exceptionally resistant to erosion, which explains why the structures have survived for more than four millennia. The bend in the alignment, which gives the monument its name, is the most remarkable architectural feature of Croas-an-Teurec. This change of direction, which is probably deliberate and charged with ritual significance, sets this site apart from conventional rectilinear alignments. It could represent the junction between two distinct spaces - the realm of the living and the realm of the dead - separated by the dolmen, or it could reflect the site's own logic of visibility and astronomical orientation.
Related Figures
Bâtisseurs néolithiques anonymes des Montagnes Noires (Ve-IIIe millénaire av. J.-C.) — communautés agricoles organisées ayant érigé le complexe mégalithiquePaul du Châtellier (1833-1911) — archéologue et préhistorien finistérien pionnier, explorateur des sites mégalithiques de Bretagne intérieureZacharie Le Rouzic (1864-1939) — archéologue breton, spécialiste des mégalithes armoricains, dont les travaux d'inventaire ont contribué à la reconnaissance de sites comme Croas-an-TeurecInspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (1924) — acteurs de la décision de classement qui assura la protection légale du site
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Alignement coudé, dit de Croas-an-Teurec located?
Alignement coudé, dit de Croas-an-Teurec is located in Saint-Goazec, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Alignement coudé, dit de Croas-an-Teurec open to visitors?
Alignement coudé, dit de Croas-an-Teurec is currently closed to visitors.