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Origin and history

The Menhir de Saint-Uzec, located in Pleumeur-Bodou (Côtes-d-D-Armor), is a block of granite of 7.40 m high and 80 tons, erected in Neolithic. Its northern face bears traces of erosion attesting to its recovery: two premegalithic bowls and nine postmegalithic drains formed by rain. These details reveal its initially lying, then vertical orientation, typical of the megalithic practices of the time.

In 1674, Jesuit Father Julien Maunoir, nicknamed "the Apostle of Brittany", Christianized him on a mission. He made him integrate into a placister, sculpt, paint and overcome a cross, transforming this pagan symbol into a calvary. This Christianization reflects a strategy of assimilation of local cults by the Church, mixing pagan traditions and Christian symbols. The erroneous name of Saint Duzec comes from a Breton linguistic confusion with Saint Josse.

The southern face of the menhir bears a carved ensemble representing the Passion of Christ, organized into three registers. There is a granite cross with a patian Christus, as well as 27 bas-reliefs mixing Christian symbols (instruments of the Passion, Virgin Mary) and pagan (sun, moon, Celtic mother goddess). These sculptures, originally polychrome as evidenced by ancient postcards, were restored in 2005 to reveal the figures masked by lichens.

Ranked a historic monument in 1889 under the name of Menhir de Saint-Duzec, the site belongs to the town of Pleumeur-Bodou. The restoration of 2005, carried out by the Bâtiments de France, allowed to find partially the erased motifs, including a polychrome Christ today disappeared. The Menhir thus illustrates both the megalithic heritage of Breton and its appropriation by local religious history.

The original decoration, described in documents of the 19th and 20th centuries, combined pigments and syncretic symbols. The summital cross, fixed by rusty holds, dominates a volute pediment surrounding scenes of the Passion arranged without strict chronological order. Among the remarkable elements are the rooster of Peter's Denial, the dice of the Roman soldiers, and tools such as the crucifixion tenails, reflecting a rich and hybrid iconography.

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