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Origin and history

The Dolmen dit de la Cour du Breuil, located in Bernard in the Vendée department, is a megalithic building dating from the Neolithic. It has been classified as historical monuments since 1978. This angelvin-type dolmen, smaller than other regional examples such as the Frébouchere, is characterized by a porphyroid granite cover table measuring 3.80 m long by 2.90 m wide, weighing about 15 tonnes. Originally, it had a tumulus now disappeared, dismantled over time for the encroachment of the roads, and finally destroyed in 1970 during a re-membering and widening of a nearby road.

In 1860, Abbé Baudry, pastor of Bernard, gave a first summary description. He reports that the monument was severely damaged by a clandestine search conducted by treasure seekers, resulting in the collapse of a pillar. The building appears on several photographs taken between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The current remains include eight orthostats, three of which still support the cover table. Two pillars on the south side, carefully covered, and a third ground block were originally the entrance gate.

Marcel Baudouin made a precise survey of the numerous cupules present on the top of the cover table. Although some are of anthropogenic origin, the majority are natural. These cupules fed fanciful interpretations in the 19th century, notably by celtomans like Abbé Baudry, who associated them with human sacrifices. A local legend also evokes meetings of sorcerers on winter nights around the dolmen, reinforcing the myth of a treasure buried on the site.

The dolmen is constructed of local porphyroid granite, extracted from an outcrop located 2 km north. Its small funeral chamber is bounded by the proportions of the cover table. The height under slab is currently between 1.30 m and 1.40 m. Despite the damage suffered, the monument remains an important testimony of neolithic funeral practices in the Pays de la Loire region.

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