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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Musseaux tumulus, located on a hill overlooking the Noëveillard in Pornic (Atlantic Sea), is a megalithic cairn dated to the Neolithic. It consists of three trapezoidal enclosures in dry stone surrounding two transepted tombs, one drawing a cross of Lorraine and the other a dissymmetric "F". The entrances, facing south-east, align with the sunrise during the winter solstice, a remarkable architectural phenomenon.

Discovered in the 19th century, the site was partially excavated in 1837 by Charpentier, revealing fragments of pottery, animal bones and polished stone tools (snake axe, gouge). In 1839 François Verger, inspector of Historic Monuments, collected ceramics and lithic artifacts. Later, between 1975 and 1977, Jean L-Helgouach and Henri Poulain led a modern campaign, bringing to light hunting pottery (bols, bottles) today exhibited at the Dobbrée Museum in Nantes.

The monument, classified as a Historical Monument in 1889 and then in 2006, served as a refuge for Abbé Galipaud, Rector of Pornic, between 1793 and 1796 during the Revolution. The stones used come partly from the Land of Retz (stones for graves) and from local micaschists for the cairn. Its architecture, combining solar symbolism and funerary techniques, makes it a major testimony of Armoric megalithism.

The excavations also revealed traces of habitat and lithic material composed of flints and quartzites. Tomb A, symmetrical, has a quadrangular terminal chamber flanked by two side chambers, while tomb B, dissymmetric, counts only one, probably for technical reasons related to space optimization.

The site, known as the cairn des Mousseaux, also includes the mound of the Moulin de la Motte and the tombs of the three skeletons, one of which retains an engraved slab. These remains, protected since the 19th century, illustrate the importance of funeral and astronomical practices in the neolithic societies of the Loire estuary.

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