Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The dolmen of Roc-en-Aud, also called Roc'h-en-Aud or Roch-en-Aud, is a corridor dolmen located in Saint-Pierre-Quiberon, Morbihan. Ranked a historic monument since 1889, it is distinguished by a square burial chamber (4 m x 3.90 m) bounded by twelve orthostats, preceded by a narrow corridor (2.20 m x 1.10 m). Its architectural particularity lies in corbelled covering slabs, reducing the range while increasing the height under vault. A bedside slab, a giant sailor's bowl, and a pavement complete the building.

The site was explored in 1877 by G. Chaplain-Duparc, who discovered neolithic artifacts: a terracotta fusaïole, flints of flint and pottery. A restoration carried out by F. Gaillard in 1889 kept the structure, although the monument was also reused in the Gallo-Roman era. These excavations revealed a prolonged occupation, mixing funeral uses and subsequent reappropriation.

According to a local tradition reported by Paul Séblot, the sailors of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon or their relatives struck with a hammer four cups on the cover table to invoke favorable winds. After the restoration of 1889, these cupulas became invisible, the practice referred to carrier holes located on another slab, until a new intervention in 1901. This folklore illustrates the persistent link between coastal communities and this monument, well beyond its period of construction.

The archaeological materials collected, though modest, confirm a neolithic occupation followed by a Gallo-Roman reuse. The dolmen, owned by the municipality, remains a key testimony of Breton megalithic practices, combining architectural ingenuity and ritual symbolism. Its precise location, 26 Route du Roch, makes it an accessible site, although its cartographic accuracy is considered poor (level 5/10).

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