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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The megalithic hemicycle of the Tombes de Saint-Broladre, located at the place known as Vaujour in Saint-Broladre (Ille-et-Vilaine), is a monument dated to the Neolithic. Ranked as historical monuments in 1966, he was threatened by the extension of a nearby quarry, causing his dismantling in 1977. Thanks to the surveys of archaeologist Jean L'Helgouach, it was rebuilt nearby in 1998. Originally, six stones bound a hemicycle of 7 metres in diameter, supplemented by two other stones. At the beginning of the 20th century, one stone was crushed and another disappeared.

According to P. Bézier's descriptions in 1883, the monument was initially mistakenly located in the neighbouring town of Baguer-Pican. Jean L'Helgouach hypothesized that it could be the ruins of a megalithic enclosure or the sepulchral chamber of a dolmen. The uncertainty about its exact function persists, although its funeral or ceremonial character is probable, typical of Breton megalithic constructions.

The site, known locally as Champ des Tombes, illustrates the challenges of preserving archaeological remains in the face of modern industrial activities. Its reconstruction in 1998, though partial, allows today to study this rare testimony of Neolithic in Brittany. The sources, including the work of Jacques Briard and Loïc Langouët, underline its importance in the megalithic heritage of Ille-et-Vilaine.

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