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Origin and history

The Menhir de Landes-Ros, also named Pierre Longue or Menhir de Landerosse, is a megalithic monument erected during the Neolithic period (6,000 to 2500 BC). Located in Noyal-sous-Bazouges, Ille-et-Vilaine, it is distinguished by its pyramidal form with four unequal faces (1.60 m to 1.80 m wide at the base) and its height of 5.10 m. Inclined southward, it was Christianized by the addition of a granite cross at its top, probably between the 5th and 8th centuries, during the Merovingian period, to counter the pagan practices still present.

According to archaeological sources, this menhir may have marked a place of worship or a territorial boundary between Bazouges-la-Perouse and Noyal-sub-Bazouges. Ranked as historical monuments in 1889, it bears witness to a human occupation prior to the arrival of the Celts in Brittany. Its form and orientation towards the cardinal points suggest a symbolic or astronomical meaning, although it remains undocumented in the available texts.

Local folklore attributes its origin to a legend involving the devil: this one, in combat against the archangel Saint Michael, would have abandoned the stone on the spot before throwing a second stone several kilometers away, visible today at the Butt in Cuguen. Another tradition evokes the erection of the menhir after a battle, or the presence of a treasure buried at his feet, although these stories are part of popular mythology. The studies cited, such as those by Paul Bézier (1883) or Jacques Briard (2004), confirm its importance in the Breton megalithic inventory.

The Christianization of the menhir, materialized by the sommital cross, reflects a common practice in the Middle Ages to reclaim pagan sites. This process, attested in other regions, aimed to erase pre-Christian beliefs while integrating these monuments into the new religious landscape. Today, the Menhir de Landes-Ros remains an emblematic vestige of the megalithic heritage of Ille-et-Vilaine, accessible on the edge of the road D796.

The architectural descriptions highlight its singularity: a block of granite with flat faces, oriented according to the cardinal points, surmounted by a monolithic cross. The precise measurements (1.60 m at 1.80 m base) and its southern slope were noted by archaeologists, but no recent excavations are mentioned in the sources consulted. Its state of conservation, although not detailed, seems stable since its classification in 1889.

Finally, the menhir is part of a wider network of Breton megalithic sites, such as the Menhir de Champ-Dolent à Dol, mentioned in the local legend. These monuments, often associated with mythological narratives, illustrate the rich prehistoric heritage of the region and its successive appropriation by different cultures, from Neolithic builders to Merovingian Christians.

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