Menhir christianisé dit Croix de Pasquiou
MonumentHidden Treasure
Menhir christianisé dit Croix de Pasquiou, located in Le Vieux-Bourg (Département 22), is a medieval landmark built in the Middle Ages. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Medieval (11th-15th century)
- Location
- Le Vieux-Bourg, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.3857, -3.0527
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089743
A stone sentinel since the Neolithic period, the Pasquiou Cross is a Christianised menhir in Brittany, a striking testimony to the dialogue between prehistoric memory and medieval faith.
History
In the heart of the rolling countryside of the Côtes-d'Armor, the Christianised menhir known as the Croix de Pasquiou stands in the commune of Vieux-Bourg like a fragment of time standing still. This monolith, fashioned by Neolithic man several millennia before our era, embodies the breathtaking depth of the history of Brittany, a region with one of the highest densities of megaliths in Western Europe. What makes the Pasquiou Cross truly singular is the superposition of timeframes it embodies. Erected as a symbolic or cult monument by prehistoric populations, it was reappropriated, probably during the Middle Ages, by Christian missionaries who took care to crown or engrave it with a cross. This practice of "baptising" menhirs, far from being marginal in Brittany, reveals the policy of assimilating previous places of worship: the Church was not seeking to erase these imposing stones, but to convert them, to harness their symbolic power in the service of the new faith. The visitor experience is intimate and contemplative. Visitors come face to face with a rough stone that has stood in the landscape for thousands of years, and immediately experience the rare feeling of a presence that predates any text or written memory. The silhouette of the menhir, marked by centuries and weathering, bears the scars of time with silent dignity. The bocage setting of the Vieux-Bourg, with its sunken lanes, dense hedges and soft light, adds to the monument's out-of-this-world atmosphere. Photography enthusiasts will find some striking compositions here, particularly during the golden hour when the stone takes on a warm ochre hue. Visitors are kept to a minimum, ensuring that the site is not crowded and that visitors can meditate on the passage of time.
Architecture
The Pasquiou menhir belongs to the large family of Breton Neolithic monoliths, standing stones whose erection technique is based on remarkable collective mastery. Probably made of local granite or sandstone - the dominant materials in the megalithic architecture of the Côtes-d'Armor - it has the classic morphology of a menhir: a slender silhouette, slightly widened at the base to ensure stability, tapering towards the top. Its surface, worked by the elements over five thousand years, has a rough, lively texture, covered in moss and lichen that underline its great age. The Christianised transformation of the monument can be seen in the cross that has been added or engraved, probably carved directly into the stone or affixed by shaping the top into the shape of a Latin cross - a common procedure in Brittany, seen on comparable monuments such as the Kerloas menhir in Plouarzel or those in the Trégor region. This sober, unadorned medieval intervention respects the original verticality of the monolith while giving it a new symbolic meaning. The height of the menhir, typical of monuments in this geographical area, is probably between two and five metres, a common size for isolated menhirs in central Brittany. Set in the agricultural landscape of Le Vieux-Bourg, a commune in the Goëlo-Trégor region, the menhir follows the pattern of land use typical of Neolithic populations, favouring slightly raised promontories or natural crossroads to ensure that the monument is visible in its immediate surroundings.
Related Figures
Populations néolithiques armoricaines (bâtisseurs du menhir, vers 3500-2500 av. J.-C.)Missionnaires chrétiens bretons (VIe-XIIe siècle, responsables de la christianisation du site)Saint Brieuc (évangélisateur des Côtes-d'Armor, Ve-VIe siècle, dans le contexte duquel s'inscrit la christianisation des mégalithes régionaux)Érudits de la Société d'Émulation des Côtes-du-Nord (XIXe siècle, premiers recenseurs du patrimoine mégalithique local)André Malraux (ministre des Affaires culturelles lors du classement MH en 1964, garant de la politique patrimoniale nationale)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Menhir christianisé dit Croix de Pasquiou located?
Menhir christianisé dit Croix de Pasquiou is located in Le Vieux-Bourg, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Menhir christianisé dit Croix de Pasquiou built?
Menhir christianisé dit Croix de Pasquiou dates back to a period built in the Middle Ages (11th-15th century).
Is Menhir christianisé dit Croix de Pasquiou open to visitors?
Menhir christianisé dit Croix de Pasquiou is currently closed to visitors.
