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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Kerzerho alignments, located in the town of Erdeven in Morbihan, form an exceptional megalithic ensemble dating from Neolithic. The site spans about 2.7 km west in the east and consists of nearly 1,100 menhirs, organized in several distinct alignments. These menhirs, sometimes of large size (some exceeding 6 meters), are divided into sections such as Kerzerho, Kerjean or Mané-Bras, with varying orientations. Part of the site was destroyed in the 19th century when a departmental road was built, but the western end was classified as a historic monument in 1862.

Prosper Mérimée described this site in his book Notes d'un voyage dans l'Ouest de la France (1836), later denouncing the damage caused by road works. In 1884 Félix Gaillard undertook a controversial restoration, criticized by Zacharie Le Rouzic for his lack of rigour. The latter also noted particularities, such as a menhir engraved with a "embush", the only example of parietal art in Breton alignments. Recent archaeological explorations of the site were carried out, including in 2007, to identify forested areas.

Kerzerho's alignments present a complex organization, with sections such as "Kerzerho Giants" (three menhirs over 6 meters) or the alignment of Coët er Blei, where some blocks carry traces of biting by carriers. Local legend attributes their origin to the petrification of Roman soldiers by Saint Cornély, thus linking the site to Breton folklore. Today, some of the alignments are protected and accessible to the public, although some sections remain hidden by vegetation or integrated into agricultural walls.

The Mané-Bras section, located at the northern inflection point of the site, has 364 menhirs, some of which may belong to a former megalithic enclosure. The excavations revealed depressions corresponding to old quarries, suggesting the reuse of stones by local populations. In Kerjean, a wooded plot is home to 15 menhirs, some of whom bear traces of attempts at cutting, illustrating the transformations of the site over the centuries.

In 2023, the alignment of Coët er Blei was included in historical monuments, strengthening the protection of this heritage. Archaeological studies, such as those conducted by the NFB in 2007, continue to enrich the knowledge of this emblematic site of Breton megalithism. Despite historical alterations, Kerzerho's alignments remain a major testimony of the cultural and religious practices of Neolithic in Brittany.

Folklore associates these menhirs with petrification stories, while scientific research emphasizes their likely role in territorial rituals or markings. Today, the site attracts as much for its mystery as for its archaeological value, embodying the richness of the prehistoric Breton heritage.

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