Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Dolmens de Kerbourg, also called dolmens de l'île de la Motte ou dolmens de la Madeleine, are located near the village of La Madeleine, in the commune of Saint-Lyphard, in the Loire-Atlantique. These funerary monuments date from the Neolithic period and were listed as historical monuments in 1951. They were emptied at the end of the Neolithic period, then looted in Roman times. Their architecture, notably that of dolmen n°1, is remarkable with a well preserved megalithic structure, covered with four granite tables. This dolmen, often referred to as covered aisle, is 7.70 metres long and has a corridor leading to a trapezoidal chamber.

Dolmen #1, searched in 1879 by the English archaeologist William Collings Lukis, revealed polished axes now preserved at the British Museum. Originally covered with a cairn, it disappeared during clearings between 1874 and 1876. The second dolmen, located 70 metres south, is very ruined: only elements of the sepulchral chamber remain, including five pillars and a cover table carrying a cupula. Excavations at the end of the 19th century by Mr. Benoist and Henri Quilgars revealed fragments of pottery, quartz punchers, a diorite axe, a black earth urn, as well as traces of ash and coal.

According to a local legend, the two dolmens would communicate by an underground inhabited by korrigans, mythical creatures supposed to hide a treasure there. This folklore adds a mysterious dimension to these remains, which illustrate funeral practices and beliefs of neolithic societies. The dolmens of Kerbourg, by their varying state of conservation, offer a valuable testimony to the megalithic architecture of the region, while highlighting the challenges of their preservation in the face of past human activities.

The dolmens of Kerbourg are mentioned in several archaeological works, including those of Pitre de Lisle du Dreneuc and Henri Quilgars, which have helped document their history and meaning. Their classification as historical monument in 1951 reflects their heritage importance, both for the understanding of Neolithic and for the preservation of the megalithic heritage of the Loire-Atlantique.

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