Menhir anthropomorphique de Kerdeval
MonumentHidden Treasure
Menhir anthropomorphique de Kerdeval, located in Penmarch (Département 29), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Penmarch, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.8217, -4.3584
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090153
A carved stone sentinel with a human face, this anthropomorphic Neolithic menhir has watched over the Penmarc'h peninsula for over 5,000 years - one of the few figurative megaliths in Finistère.
History
At the end of the Penmarc'h peninsula, where Brittany reaches furthest out into the Atlantic, stands the anthropomorphic menhir of Kerdeval: a raised stone stele that Neolithic builders have endowed, a rarity, with features evoking the human silhouette. In a landscape of bare moorland swept by the sea breeze, its presence imposes a respectful silence that millennia have not diminished. What fundamentally distinguishes Kerdeval from the multitude of Breton menhirs is its anthropomorphic nature. Whereas most standing stones are crude monoliths, this one features intentional features - hollows, modelling, protrusions - that suggest a face or a schematised human figure. This type of sculpture, heir to a tradition of megalithic statuary that can also be found in Corsica, Sardinia and Aveyron, bears witness to a symbolic and ritualistic thought process of an unsuspected sophistication for its time. The visit is above all a sensory and meditative experience. Approaching the menhir via the sunken paths of Kerdeval, feeling the rough, speckled granite under your fingers, searching the lines of the stone for the features engraved there by the Neolithic: it's an invitation to decipher, almost an enigma posed across the centuries. The orange and grey lichens that colonise the rock add to this impression of suspended time. The natural setting makes a powerful contribution to the emotion of the place. Penmarc'h, whose Breton name evokes the head of a horse, is a land of extremes, between coastal marshes, fields of dried seaweed and infinite horizons. Photography enthusiasts will find the low-angled light here to be of exceptional quality, particularly in the late afternoon when the Atlantic sun tints the granite gold and red. A listed monument since 1929, discreet but absolutely unforgettable.
Architecture
The Kerdeval menhir is a granite monolith carved from local rock, a material that is omnipresent in the geology of Finistère and favoured by Neolithic builders for its hardness, durability and availability. Its height, typical of the medium-sized menhirs frequently found in Cornouaille, is probably between 1.50 and 2.50 metres above ground, anchored in a foundation designed to ensure its stability for thousands of years in the face of the Atlantic winds. The formal distinguishing feature of this menhir is its anthropomorphic treatment: the stone has been deliberately shaped or chosen to present shapes that evoke the human silhouette. Excavations or reliefs carved into the granite define what can be interpreted as a schematised face - a feature common to the statue-menhirs of the Final European Neolithic. The shaft is slightly enlarged at the top, reinforcing the impression of a stylised representation of the body, according to a canon found in Mediterranean and Atlantic megalithic traditions. The surface of the granite, now largely colonised by lichens, bears the marks of time in the form of weathering. The orientation of the menhir, as is often the case in the Breton Neolithic tradition, probably reflects an astronomical or topographical logic linked to the surrounding landscape - sunrise or sunset at the equinoxes, visual relationship with other vanished monuments or with remarkable points on the Penmarc'h coastline.
Related Figures
Les bâtisseurs néolithiques de la presqu'île de Penmarc'h (vers 3500-2500 av. J.-C.) — artisans anonymes de la taille du graniteLes membres de la Société Archéologique du Finistère (XIXe-XXe siècles) — acteurs de la redécouverte et de la documentation scientifique des mégalithes cornouaillaisLes inspecteurs des Monuments Historiques (années 1920) — décideurs du classement protecteur de 1929
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Menhir anthropomorphique de Kerdeval located?
Menhir anthropomorphique de Kerdeval is located in Penmarch, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Menhir anthropomorphique de Kerdeval open to visitors?
Menhir anthropomorphique de Kerdeval is currently closed to visitors.