If you are a lover of the celtic culture or if you are just a bit curious, Carnac and its surrounding will please you ! Its stones alignements, its dolmens and its megaliths would not leave you indifferent. Its Prehistorical Museum will permit you to travel through time and the Saint Cronély Church will transport you in a decor full of colors and grace.
Carnac’s Alignements
Kerlescan’s Alignements : This site classified as a historical monument in 1889 is the smallest of Carnac’s alignements. It is an alignment of 555 stones on 13 lines. On it north part, you will find a mound (that is to say a mound of stones that cover a burial site) that is topped by a wonderful Dolmen which is 3.7m (9.8 feet) high! This stone building date from the Neolithic period and is the most preserved of the Carnac’s alignment.
Kermario’s Alignements : This part of Carnac’s alignements is composed of 1029 menhirs (Stones) divided on 10 lines. Moreover, those alignements are just next to the biggest Menhirs of Carnac’s alignements. It is called the Géant du Manio (Manio Giant) and reach the 6.5m (19.6 feet) !
Menec’s Alignements : This part of Carnac’s alignements is composed of 1050 menhirs divided on 11 lines. At the site’s entrance, you could see a cromlech, that is to say a monument in which menhirs are placed in circle (just like the Stonehenge in England). That is the most emblematic part of Carnac’s alignements because there is numerous menhirs which are filed on a regular basis.
Did you know that? Carnac’s alignements are a source of many legends! Indeed some people believe that menhirs were initially Roman soldiers who were turned into stone by Saint Cornély himself. Others thinks that Korrigans (elfin-like beings) moved the stones to line them thanks to their prodigious strength !
Dolmens and Tumulus
Mane Kerioned’s Dolmen : Those three stone buildings are at the end of Carnac’s alignements and have the aspect of small stone cabins or gigantic tables, it depends on your point of view. The three dolmens are forming a hallway and are surrounded by small menhirs. Dolmens are burial chambers built during the Neolithic period. Initially, they were covered by stones and land, creating a Cairn.
Kercado’s Cairn : This original mound is located in the south of Kermario’s alignements in Carnac. It is a dolmen, just like Mane Kerioned’s one, but that could has preserved its envelope of stones and land. The monument is 5m high (16.4 feet) and 30m diameter (98.4 feet) ! You may also notice that a small menhir is standing at the top of the Cairn, indicating its localization.
Moustoir Tumulus and Saint Michel Tumulus : Those two Tumulus (that is to say piles of stones and land on top of a burial site) are quite impressive. Especially their length : 85m for Moustoir Tumulus (278.8 feet) and 125m for Saint Michel Tumulus (410 feet) ! The last one is under Saint Michel Church and offers you a breathtaking view on the bay, on the Quiberon peninsula and on Belle-Île-en-Mer island.
The Museum and the Church
Prehistorical Museum of Carnac : If you have already visited the different megalithic sites of Carnac but you want to know more about Neolithic period, the Prehistorical Museum of Carnac may inform you. The Museum permit to have a glimpse into the lives of our ancestors in the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age and even Roman times! You may visit their website for further information.
Saint Cornély Church : This amazing monument has a unique specificity. It is a stone canopy that can be seen at the entrance of the church. This architectural element has a crown shape, which is its main specificity. The Church’s inside is also noticeable: you can admire numerous painting and a magnificent 18th century organ.
You want to know more about the historical and cultural sites of Carnac? Visit the website of the Carnac tourist office !
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Photograph credits : Loïc KERSUZAN – Morbihan Tourisme for Alignement de Kermario during sunset and Alignement du Ménec during sunset.