Deux menhirs dits Les Causeurs
MonumentHidden Treasure
Deux menhirs dits Les Causeurs, located in Ile-de-Sein (Département 29), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Ile-de-Sein, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.0381, -4.8512
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090011
At the end of the Finistère world, on the island of Sein, two Neolithic menhirs nicknamed "Les Causeurs" face each other as if in eternal conversation, stone guardians of a sacred territory swept by the Atlantic winds.
History
Off the coast of the Pointe du Raz, the island of Sein concentrates in a few hectares a density of mystery rarely equalled on the Breton coast. Among its oldest treasures, two menhirs known by the evocative name of Les Causeurs stand side by side, providing rare evidence of Neolithic human occupation of this granite confetti battered by the Atlantic. Their popular nickname - les Causeurs - betrays the sensitivity of the island's inhabitants to these standing stones, which seem to have been maintaining a silent dialogue with each other for thousands of years. The uniqueness of this site lies first and foremost in its extreme geographical location. The island of Sein, barely above the waves, is one of the few Breton islands to have preserved its megaliths despite storms and centuries of marine erosion. Seeing these two standing stones in this low-lying landscape, where the sky and sea seem to meet at the horizon, produces a deeply striking impression of verticality and anchorage. A visit to Les Causeurs is a natural part of the walking tour, which is the only way to get around this car-free island. Visitors discover them after crossing by boat from Audierne or the Pointe du Raz, already imbued with the feeling of entering a timeless space. The intense, changing Atlantic light sculpts the stones differently depending on the time of day and the season, inviting both the photographer and the history buff to prolonged contemplation. In such a small area, each prehistoric vestige takes on a tenfold symbolic value. The Causeurs are not just two blocks of stone; they are the last silent witnesses of a Neolithic community that, over five thousand years ago, chose this islet on the edge of the ocean to make its mark on the landscape. Their protection as Historic Monuments since 1901 underlines the early awareness of their exceptional heritage value.
Architecture
The two menhirs at Les Causeurs belong to the classic type of Breton menhir: rough blocks of stone, roughly hewn and set vertically into the ground, with no visible masonry or carved ornamentation. The constituent rock is probably local granite or a metamorphic sandstone from the Armorican geological basement, materials universally used by the Neolithic populations of Finistère for their resistance to bad weather and their availability on the island itself or in the immediate vicinity. Their arrangement in pairs is one of their most significant architectural features. While single menhirs are the most common in Brittany, pairs of menhirs are a documented sub-set, sometimes interpreted as a dual representation - male and female - or as an astronomical alignment system to mark the rising or setting of the sun at solstices or equinoxes. The distance between them and their respective orientations are essential factors in understanding the logic behind their siting, factors that can only be pinpointed accurately by archaeological fieldwork. In terms of size, Breton menhirs from this period vary considerably, from less than a metre to several metres in height for the most imposing specimens. On an island where the transport of heavy materials was necessarily limited by local resources, the Lovesei are probably of modest to medium height, between one and three metres above ground level, with their bases buried to a comparable depth to ensure their stability against the prevailing westerly winds.
Related Figures
Prosper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, pionnier de l'inventaire du patrimoine mégalithique françaisPomponius Mela — géographe latin du Ier siècle évoquant l'île de Sein comme sanctuaire sacréPaul du Châtellier — archéologue finistérien du XIXe siècle, grand inventorieur des mégalithes bretonsZacharie Le Rouzic — chercheur carnacéen qui contribua à la systématisation de l'étude des menhirs bretons au début du XXe siècleLes neuf prêtresses de Sena — figures mythiques de la tradition gauloise associées à l'île de Sein dans les sources antiques
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Deux menhirs dits Les Causeurs located?
Deux menhirs dits Les Causeurs is located in Ile-de-Sein, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Deux menhirs dits Les Causeurs open to visitors?
Deux menhirs dits Les Causeurs is currently closed to visitors.