Menhir, dit Fuseau ou Quenouille de Jeannette
MonumentHidden Treasure
Menhir, dit Fuseau ou Quenouille de Jeannette, located in Sarzeau (Département 56), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Sarzeau, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.5315, -2.8351
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091733
A stone sentinel erected on the Rhuys peninsula since Neolithic times, the Quenouille de Jeannette is one of the most evocative menhirs in Morbihan, the silent guardian of a sacred territory dating back 5,000 years.
History
On the Rhuys peninsula, just a stone's throw from the Gulf of Morbihan, stands a stone figure that the centuries have not erased: the menhir known as the "Fuseau" or "Quenouille de Jeannette". This Neolithic monolith, listed as a Historic Monument in 1969, is one of the many silent megaliths dotted around southern Brittany, bearing witness to a civilisation that has disappeared, but whose presence remains strikingly powerful. The popular nickname for the menhir reveals the rich relationship that the people of Sarzeau have had with it over the generations. "Quenouille de Jeannette" (Jeannette's distaff) - this feminine designation, closely linked to the image of spinning and weaving, is typical of the names attributed to Breton menhirs in local folklore. It evokes a tutelary female figure, perhaps a fairy or a popular saint, who would have abandoned her tool there, petrified by a spell or by divine grace. This double name - the learned "Fuseau" and the popular "Quenouille de Jeannette" - perfectly underlines the coexistence of a descriptive reading and a living memory, transmitted orally from village to village. To visit this menhir is to experience a break in time. The monolith stands out against a characteristic Breton landscape of moorland, hedged farmland and maritime horizons, just a few kilometres from the calm waters of the Gulf of Morbihan. The Rhuys peninsula is particularly rich in megaliths, which means that the Quenouille de Jeannette can be part of a wider archaeological trail, particularly in the direction of the Château de Suscinio and the medieval town of Sarzeau. The menhir is a tall, slender stele, with a tapering silhouette that is perfectly illustrated by its nickname of "spindle". Its verticality in an open space produces a striking visual effect, particularly at times when the low-angled light of dawn or sunset cuts its shape against the sky. For photographers and archaeology enthusiasts alike, it's a first-rate subject, discreet but unforgettable. The menhir may not be the focus of many tourist attractions, but it nonetheless has a remarkable historical and symbolic depth. It is a reminder that Brittany is not just the land of Gothic cathedrals and Renaissance manor houses, but first and foremost an open-air laboratory of European prehistory, of which the megalithic monuments are one of the most spectacular and enigmatic legacies.
Architecture
The menhir known as the Fuseau or Quenouille de Jeannette belongs to the category of isolated menhirs, as opposed to the Carnac alignments or cromlech complexes. Its slender, tapering shape - the very characteristic that gave it its nickname - evokes a carved or naturally selected monolith, with its pronounced verticality and profile tapering towards the top, visually reminiscent of the silhouette of a wool-spinning spindle. Like the vast majority of menhirs in Morbihan, it is probably made of local granite or schist, rocks that are abundant in the Breton subsoil and particularly resistant to erosion. The surface of the monolith, pitted by millennia of exposure to the Atlantic weather, probably shows traces of lichen and natural patina, accentuating its integration into the surrounding vegetation. Its height, typical of isolated menhirs in the Rhuys region, can be estimated at between two and four metres above the ground, although its lower part is anchored deep into the earth to ensure its stability. The orientation of the menhir, as is often the case with these Neolithic monuments, is no doubt not accidental: the builders of the time attached great importance to solar and lunar alignments, and the position of the monolith in its landscape environment could mark an astronomical landmark, a territorial boundary or the axis of a ceremonial space that has now disappeared. Its apparent solitude in the landscape of the Rhuys peninsula does not rule out the possibility that it was once part of a larger complex, the other elements of which may not have survived.
Related Figures
Populations néolithiques de la presqu'île de Rhuys (bâtisseurs présumés, 4500-2000 av. J.-C.)Prosper Mérimée (inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, pionnier de la protection du patrimoine mégalithique breton au XIXe siècle)James Miln (archéologue écossais ayant contribué à l'inventaire des mégalithes du Morbihan à la fin du XIXe siècle)Zacharie Le Rouzic (archéologue breton, grand spécialiste des mégalithes du Morbihan au début du XXe siècle)'Jeannette' (figure légendaire féminine du folklore local, dont le nom est attaché au menhir dans la tradition orale sarzoïsienne)
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Menhir, dit Fuseau ou Quenouille de Jeannette located?
Menhir, dit Fuseau ou Quenouille de Jeannette is located in Sarzeau, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
Is Menhir, dit Fuseau ou Quenouille de Jeannette open to visitors?
Menhir, dit Fuseau ou Quenouille de Jeannette is currently closed to visitors.
