Dolmen de Kermané dit Roh-Vras-de-Pourhos
MonumentHidden Treasure
Dolmen de Kermané dit Roh-Vras-de-Pourhos, located in Saint-Philibert (Département 56), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Saint-Philibert, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5950, -2.9945
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091702
Standing in Neolithic Morbihan, the Kermané dolmen known as Roh-Vras-de-Pourhos is a listed megalithic monument, a silent witness to a building civilisation dating back over 5,000 years in the heart of the Rhuys peninsula.
History
In the heart of the commune of Saint-Philibert, in the Morbihan region, which alone boasts one of the highest densities of megaliths in the world, the Kermané dolmen known as Roh-Vras-de-Pourhos stands out as one of the most eloquent reminders of the human presence in southern Brittany at the dawn of agriculture. Its very name is a journey: "Roh-Vras" means "the great rock" in Breton, evocative of the mineral power that characterises this edifice. What sets this dolmen apart from the rich megalithic corpus in the Gulf of Morbihan is its place in a coastal landscape shaped by the tides and Atlantic winds. Neolithic builders had a detailed knowledge of the land: they chose their sites with particular attention to the skyline, water sources and traffic routes. The Kermané site fits in with this logic, discreetly dominating an area that, five millennia ago, was populated by organised farming and pastoral communities. The experience of visiting Kermané is first and foremost a plunge into the long history of mankind. Approaching the massive orthostats of local sandstone, laying your hand on a stone cut and erected by men about whom we know almost nothing, is a rare moment of temporal vertigo. The Breton vegetation - moorland, broom and gorse - frames the monument with a sobriety that suits it perfectly. Other major megalithic sites in the region - the Carnac alignments, the Saint-Michel tumulus, the Kermarquer dolmen - place Roh-Vras-de-Pourhos in a monumental constellation that is unique in Europe. This dolmen, more discreet than its illustrious neighbours, has that precious quality of preserved authenticity, far removed from mass tourism. The fact that the monument has been classified as a Historic Monument since 1927 is testimony to the early recognition of its heritage value. It is part of an ancient human heritage that Brittany has preserved and passed on better than any other region in France.
Architecture
The Roh-Vras-de-Pourhos dolmen belongs to the large family of single-chamber or corridor dolmens characteristic of the Armorican Neolithic. Its structure is based on the universal principle of megalithic architecture: orthostats, blocks of stone standing vertically, support one or more horizontal cover tables forming the burial chamber. The blocks used were probably made of local sandstone or granite, materials that are abundant in the subsoil of the Morbihan region, and are characterised by their resistance to the Atlantic weather. The name "Roh-Vras", literally "the big rock" in Breton, suggests that the dolmen's roof slab is of imposing size, which is consistent with the dolmens of the Gulf of Morbihan, some of which have roof slabs weighing several dozen tonnes. The chamber thus created was originally intended to be covered by a mound of earth and dry stone, now largely eroded or gone, giving it the appearance of an artificial hill in the landscape. As with the majority of Neolithic megalithic monuments on the Breton coast, the orientation of the dolmen is probably not accidental: Neolithic builders often incorporated astronomical considerations into the design of their edifices, particularly in relation to the winter solstice or sunrise at the equinox, creating plays of light inside the chamber at symbolically important moments in the agricultural and ritual calendar.
Related Figures
Les bâtisseurs néolithiques anonymes du golfe du Morbihan (v. 4000-3000 av. J.-C.) — communautés agricoles organisées ayant conçu et érigé le monumentProsper Mérimée (1803-1870) — Inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, pionnier de l'inventaire et de la protection des mégalithes bretons en FranceJames Miln (1819-1881) — archéologue écossais ayant mené les premières fouilles systématiques à Carnac et dans le Morbihan, contribuant à la documentation des dolmens de la régionZacharie Le Rouzic (1864-1939) — archéologue breton natif de Carnac, continuateur de Miln et figure centrale de l'étude des mégalithes du Morbihan au XXe siècleRené Cintré et les agents des Monuments Historiques (XXe siècle) — responsables du classement et de la surveillance des mégalithes bretons après la loi de 1913
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Dolmen de Kermané dit Roh-Vras-de-Pourhos located?
Dolmen de Kermané dit Roh-Vras-de-Pourhos is located in Saint-Philibert, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Dolmen de Kermané dit Roh-Vras-de-Pourhos open to visitors?
Dolmen de Kermané dit Roh-Vras-de-Pourhos is currently closed to visitors.
