Dolmen
MonumentHidden Treasure
Dolmen, located in Corzé (Maine-et-Loire), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Corzé, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5471, -0.3474
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00109066
A low-key megalithic monument in Maine-et-Loire, this dolmen at Corzé bears witness to five millennia of human settlement in the wooded countryside of the Anjou region; it has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1984.
History
Hidden away in the hedged farmland of Maine-et-Loire, the Corzé dolmen is one of the silent stone guardians that the Neolithic period sowed throughout Anjou. The region, a natural crossroads between the Armorican Massif and the Parisian Basin, was one of the most active in France for the erection of megaliths, and this monument is fully in keeping with this exceptional heritage. At first glance, the sobriety of the building may seem surprising: a few blocks of local sandstone or shale, arranged with a precision that defies the centuries, form a burial chamber whose symbolic function remains fascinating. Unlike the great covered walkways of the Anjou region, the Corzé dolmen belong to the category of modest, intimate monuments, where the relationship between man and stone takes on an almost personal quality. The visitor experience is that of a return to the origins: no ticket office, no crowds, but a direct encounter with one of the oldest forms of human architecture. Visitors come face to face with stones laid by farming communities between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago, in a collective gesture that combined ancestor worship, technical mastery and advanced social organisation. The natural setting is the perfect backdrop for your contemplation. The area around Corzé, a commune nestling north of Angers in the Loire Valley, offers a verdant environment punctuated by hedgerows and open fields that have hardly changed their vocation since the Neolithic period. At dawn or in the late afternoon, when the low-angled light brings out the relief and rough texture of the megaliths, the visit takes on an almost contemplative dimension. Listed as a Historic Monument since 12 February 1984, this dolmen has official recognition guaranteeing its preservation. It is an invaluable milestone in understanding the prehistoric occupation of Maine-et-Loire, a department particularly rich in megalithic heritage, and well worth a visit for anyone interested in the deepest roots of French civilisation.
Architecture
The Corzé dolmen belong to the large family of single-chamber megalithic burials characteristic of the Neolithic period in Anjou. Its structure is based on the founding principle of the classical dolmen: orthostats - vertical supporting slabs - arranged in a quadrilateral or trapezoidal shape, on which rest one or more horizontal covering slabs known as tables or capstones. The whole structure originally formed a burial chamber, partly or totally buried beneath a mound of earth and dry stone, of which only scattered traces remain. The materials used were those that the local subsoil could provide: Armorican sandstone, shale or flint, depending on the availability of outcrops in the Corzé area. These rocks, of proven hardness and strength, partly explain the remarkable longevity of the structure. The blocks, estimated to weigh between one and several tonnes, bear witness to perfectly mastered Neolithic site logistics, using sledges, wooden rollers and organised collective labour. The burial chamber, whose interior dimensions are probably around two to three metres long and one to two metres wide - typical proportions for medium-sized Angevin dolmens - was designed to accommodate successive collective burials. The orientation of the main axis, often facing east or eastward, is not insignificant: it reflects a cosmological awareness and a symbolic relationship with the solar cycle common to many of the megalithic cultures of Atlantic Europe.
Related Figures
Communautés néolithiques angevines (vers 4500-2500 av. J.-C.) — bâtisseurs anonymes du monumentÉrudits de la Société d'études scientifiques de l'Anjou (XIXe siècle) — premiers recenseurs des mégalithes du Maine-et-LoireConservateurs régionaux des Monuments Historiques — artisans de l'inscription patrimoniale de 1984
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Dolmen located?
Dolmen is located in Corzé, Maine-et-Loire department, Pays de la Loire region, France.
Is Dolmen open to visitors?
Dolmen is currently closed to visitors.