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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Autel des Druides, also known as the Rocques covered alley, is a megalithic monument located at Grand Breuil, in the municipality of Moitiers-d'Allonne, in the department of Manche (Normandy). This site, dated from the Neolithic, is in the form of a covered driveway of 19.80 meters long, with a width of between 1 and 1.20 meters. Thirteen orthostats (vertical pads) border its eastern side, while four sandstone blanket tables are still in place, reaching a slab height of about 1.90 meters. Although sometimes confused with the neighbouring municipality of The Hague-d'Ectot, its exact location is attested to at the Moitiers-d'Allonne.

The covered alley was classified as a historical monument on 8 January 1906, at the initiative of Léon Coutil, a local or regional figure involved in its preservation. This type of structure, characteristic of Neolithic, probably served as a collective burial or ritual place. The materials used, exclusively sandstone, reflect local geological resources. Today, the site remains a major testimony of prehistoric funeral architecture in Normandy, although its access and precise location (noted "a priori satisfactory" by sources) may require verification for visitors.

Contrary to some popular ideas, the name "Autel des Druides" is a later name, probably romantic or folkloric, because the Druids belong to a much more recent era (Age of Iron, linked to the Celts). The monument dates back to an earlier period of several millennia, illustrating the funeral practices of sedentary neolithic communities. Available data (Wikipedia, Monumentum) highlight its heritage importance, but do not specify its current state of conservation or openness to the public.

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