Deux dolmens à galerie de Kerlagade
MonumentHidden Treasure
Deux dolmens à galerie de Kerlagade, located in Carnac (Département 56), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Carnac, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6147, -3.0414
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091099
Nestling in the megalithic plain of Carnac, the two Kerlagade gallery dolmens have been standing with their imposing granite slabs for over 5,000 years, silent witnesses to a Neolithic civilisation of disturbing sophistication.
History
Just a stone's throw from the famous alignments at Carnac, the Kerlagade gallery dolmens are one of the most remarkable Neolithic funerary complexes in Morbihan. These twin monuments, built from local granite, belong to the large family of Armorican covered walkways, monumental stone structures that the Neolithic populations of the Breton coast erected both as collective burials and as symbolic markers of the territory. What sets Kerlagade apart in the megalithic landscape of Carnaçois is the presence of two side-by-side gallery dolmens, forming a coherent whole that bears witness to an elaborate social and ritual organisation. Each monument has a burial chamber accessible via a paved corridor, a characteristic feature of side-entrance burials in the Middle and Final Neolithic (circa 3500 to 2500 BC). The preservation of the orthostats - large upright stones - still allows us to appreciate the architectural ambitions of their builders. A visit to Kerlagade is an intimate encounter with prehistory. Far from the crowds that sometimes flock to the great alignments, these dolmens invite a more personal contemplation. As you approach the covering slabs, some of which weigh several tonnes, you can appreciate the logistical and human feat involved in putting them in place without any mechanical equipment. The stones bear the marks of time on their sides: golden and grey lichens, mineral efflorescences that transform the granite into a palette of natural colours. The hedged farmland setting of the Kerlagade dolmens adds to their discreet charm. Surrounded by low-lying vegetation and oak trees, they enjoy an unspoilt atmosphere, far removed from the artificiality of tourism. The low-angled light at the end of the afternoon brings out the rough texture of the flagstones, inviting you to take a contemplative photograph. This site, listed as a Historic Monument since 1928, is just as much for archaeology enthusiasts as it is for walkers looking for a timeless interlude in the Carnac region.
Architecture
The Kerlagade gallery dolmens belong to the architectural type known as the "Armorican covered alley" or corridor dolmen, characteristic of the Middle and Late Neolithic of the French Atlantic coast. Each monument consists of an access corridor made up of orthostats - large slabs standing vertically - on which rest horizontal cover slabs, the whole forming an elongated burial chamber accessible from one end. This T- or I-shaped plan, depending on how wide the chamber was, is one of the most common architectural designs in Neolithic Morbihan. The materials used were exclusively local granite, quarried from natural outcrops in the Carnac area. The orthostats are imposing in size, generally reaching heights of 1.50 to 2 metres and thicknesses of 20 to 40 centimetres. The roof slabs, when preserved, are the most massive elements of the structure, weighing up to several tonnes. Putting them in place demonstrates remarkable technical mastery: the Neolithic builders used earth and wood ramps, levers and teamwork to hoist these monumental blocks. The juxtaposition of two gallery dolmens on the same site is a configuration that, although not unique in Brittany, gives Kerlagade a special character. It suggests either construction in two successive phases, the community having chosen to build a second monument close to the first for demographic or ritual reasons, or the initial planning of a bipolar funerary complex. The orientation of the access corridors, generally facing the rising sun in monuments of this type, reflects a cosmology in which death and solar rebirth were closely associated.
Related Figures
Zacharie Le Rouzic — archéologue et conservateur carnacéen (1864-1939), grand inventorieur des mégalithes de la région de CarnacJames Miln — archéologue écossais (1819-1881), pionnier des fouilles préhistoriques à Carnac, fondateur du premier musée localProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments historiques au XIXe siècle, initiateur des premières protections du patrimoine mégalithique bretonRené Galles — ingénieur et archéologue morbihannais du XIXe siècle, l'un des premiers à documenter les dolmens du pays de Carnac
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Deux dolmens à galerie de Kerlagade located?
Deux dolmens à galerie de Kerlagade is located in Carnac, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Deux dolmens à galerie de Kerlagade open to visitors?
Deux dolmens à galerie de Kerlagade is currently closed to visitors.