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Origin and history

The Grand Resto alignments, also known as soldiers of Saint Cornély or Kersolan alignments, are three rows of menhirs located in Languidic, Morbihan. These megalithic structures, oriented north-west/south-east, have 29, 69 and 43 stones respectively. Their parallel arrangement and dating around 3380 B.C. (through analysed charcoals) suggest a ritual or commemorative function linked to local Neolithic societies. Excavations revealed clay-filled calving pits to stabilize the menhirs, as well as artifacts such as cut flints and pottery studs.

The site was first mentioned in 1847 by Cayot-Delandre, but its detailed description was given to Commander A. Martin in 1898, who then recorded 39, 71 and 5 menhirs for each alignment. Martin also notes the partial destruction of the stones and searches a nearby tumulus, discovering a fibrolith axe and flint. In 1963, blocks were taken to decorate the Lorient sub-prefecture, before the site was classified as a Historic Monument in 1967. In the 1980s, residents partially restored the alignments, and Yves Lecerf conducted a rescue search in 1981, confirming the anchoring of menhirs in a clay mortar.

According to a local legend, shared with the alignments of Carnac, these stones were petrified Roman soldiers, who came to arrest Saint Cornély, a Christian figure associated with the region. This belief illustrates the re-appropriation of prehistoric sites by the Breton communities. The alignments, though fragmentary, remain a major testimony of the megalithic architecture of Armomerica, marked by sophisticated construction techniques for the time.

Protection of the site in 1967 allowed for the preservation of some of the menhirs, despite historical degradation. The excavations also revealed the absence of direct funeral structures under the alignments, suggesting a rather symbolic or astronomical vocation. Today, the Grand Resto offers an overview of the collective practices of Neolithic, where landscapes were shaped by perennial monuments, linked to beliefs or social organization.

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