Menhir de Menou-Glas
MonumentHidden Treasure
Menhir de Menou-Glas, located in Landebaëron (Département 22), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Landebaëron, Département 22, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.6376, -3.2041
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00089240
A stone sentinel erected since the Neolithic period, the Menou-Glas menhir watches over the moors of the Trégor region of Brittany. A silent witness to five millennia of human history in deepest Brittany.
History
In the heart of the Costa Rican bocage, in the commune of Landebaëron in the Côtes-d'Armor, the Menou-Glas menhir stands out in the landscape with the quiet authority of the great Breton Neolithic monoliths. Its very name - "Menou-Glas" meaning "the blue mountain" or "the green hill" in Breton, depending on the dialect - suggests an intimate relationship with the earth and the sky, the double allegiance that characterises all the menhirs erected by the peoples of Armorican prehistory. The stone, quarried and cut from the local granite or schist depending on the resources of the Trégorrois subsoil, has the characteristic shape of isolated menhirs: a slender monolith, tapering slightly towards the top, its silhouette silhouetted against the horizon with an almost deliberate verticality. These standing stones were not erected by chance, but were the result of a strong architectural and symbolic desire on the part of organised farming communities capable of mobilising considerable collective energy. To visit Menou-Glas is to enjoy a rare experience of direct contact with prehistory, without a showcase or museum mediation. The stone is there, standing exactly where human hands placed it five or six thousand years ago. It was listed as a Historic Monument in 1969, guaranteeing its protection while leaving intact the magic of the approach - an unadorned encounter with Brittany's most distant past. The surroundings of Landebaëron, a rural commune in the Trégor region, offer an unspoilt setting that enhances the emotion of the visit. The sunken lanes, hedgerows and open horizons typical of the Costarmorican plateau capture something of the atmosphere in which these Neolithic builders evolved. Photographers and archaeology enthusiasts will find plenty of material here for long and fruitful contemplation.
Architecture
The Menou-Glas menhir belongs to the category of isolated menhirs, the most basic and widespread form of Breton megalithism. It is a single monolith, standing vertically, carved from the local rock - probably granite or Armorican schist, the dominant materials in the Trégor subsoil. The stone is slightly tapered, wider at the base to ensure stability, and gradually tapers to a rounded or slightly pointed top, depending on the natural morphology of the original block and the squaring work carried out by the Neolithic builders. The exact dimensions of the menhir are not documented in the available sources, but the isolated menhirs in the Côtes-d'Armor region are generally between 1.50 and 4 metres high above ground, with a buried section sometimes representing a third of the total height - an essential feature for the monument's age-old stability. The horizontal cross-section of the shaft is irregular, retaining the natural roughness of the rock with only partial polishing, unlike the more elaborate menhirs, which have been carefully polished. Its position in the landscape is an architectural dimension in its own right. The position of the menhir, chosen for its visibility in the surrounding area, transforms the natural space into a significant space. The surface of the stone, patinated by millennia of Atlantic weathering, now sports the grey, russet and green hues of the lichens that colonise Breton granite - a living patina that forms part of the monument's visual identity.
Related Figures
Communautés néolithiques armoricaines (bâtisseurs présumés, vers 4500-2500 av. J.-C.)Prosper Mérimée (inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, pionnier de la protection du patrimoine mégalithique breton, XIXe siècle)Paul du Châtellier (archéologue et inventeur du mégalithisme armoricain, XIXe-XXe siècle)James Miln et Zacharie Le Rouzic (fouilleurs et catalogueurs du mégalithisme breton, fin XIXe-début XXe siècle)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Menhir de Menou-Glas located?
Menhir de Menou-Glas is located in Landebaëron, Département 22 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Menhir de Menou-Glas open to visitors?
Menhir de Menou-Glas is currently closed to visitors.