Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Maison des Fées, also known as Maison des Feins or Dolmen de Tressé, is a covered driveway located in the forest of Mesnil, on the town of Tressé in Ille-et-Vilaine. This megalithic monument, dated from the Neolithic, is distinguished by its elongated structure of 12 meters long, covered with eight slabs. It was classified as Historic Monuments in 1889, recognizing its early heritage importance. The site is surrounded by an oval tumulus, now partially extinct, and features slabs carved with bas-relief motifs, including breast representations, symbols often associated with female deities.

In 1931, the English archaeologist Robert Mond undertook thorough excavations on the site, at the request of Baron Surcouf, then owner of the site. These works allowed the monument to be partially restored and to reveal significant artifacts: a skeleton, pottery, a necklace of steatite beads, as well as a bronze ace dating from the time of Emperor Domitian (I century AD) and fragments of iron. These discoveries suggest re-use or use of the site well after its initial construction, during Roman Antiquity. The excavations were documented by V.C.C. Collum, Mond's assistant, in a report published in 1938.

The monument is also marked by local legends, such as that of the fairies who offered a magic bread to a nearby farmer. This folk tale, typical of Breton traditions, illustrates the imagination associated with megaliths, often perceived as places inhabited by supernatural beings. The sculptures of the bedside slab, now partially mutilated, reinforce this mystery. A cement terminal, installed near the site during the excavations of 1931, commemorates the work of Mond and Collum with the inscription: "Flooded and restored in 1931 / P.L. Mond VCC.

Architecturally, the gangway is oriented north-north-west/south-south-east and bounded by 19 orthostats (arrested stones) and a bedside slab. Its cover, consisting of eight slabs, originally protected a funeral chamber, now partially ruined. The current dimensions of the monument are 15 metres long, 2.30 metres wide and 1.30 metres high, depending on the most recent sources. The carved motifs, interpreted as symbols of the "Great Goddess," bear witness to complex cultural and religious practices during the third millennium B.C.E.

The Fairy House is part of a larger set of megaliths protected in Ille-et-Vilaine, reflecting the importance of this region in the study of the Breton Neolithic. The work of Jacques Briard and Loïc Langouët, among other archaeologists, helped document this heritage, highlighting its role in funeral rites and beliefs of the time. Today, the site remains a place of visit and study, although its access and preservation raise questions, as evidenced by the "very insufficient" accuracy attributed to its location in some databases.

External links