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Origin and history

The menhirs of the Champ de la Pierre and Champ Horel are two megalithic monuments located in the municipality of Sel-de-Bretagne, in Ille-et-Vilaine (Bretagne). Dated from Neolithic, these two erect stones are 25 metres apart. The smallest, quartz, is 2.18 × 1.30 × 1.20 metres and appears mutilated, while the largest, purple ferruginous shale, adopts a quadrangular pyramidal form (2.78 × 2.50 × 0.98 metres). These menhirs were classified as historical monuments on 7 May 1945.

According to a local legend, these two menhirs, nicknamed the two sisters, were transported by fairies travelling to Roche-aux-Fées in Esse. One would be in shale, the other in quartz. Traditionally, during full moon nights, a ritual dance around the stones could turn them into red granite menhirs, accompanied by sparks if the dance was done without clothes. This legend is part of Breton folklore linked to megaliths and supernatural creatures.

Historical sources mention these menhirs in several books, including Inventory of megalithic monuments of Ille-et-Vilaine (Paul Bézier, 1883) and Les megalithes of the department of Ille-et-Vilaine (Briard, Langouët, Onnée, 2004). These archaeological studies underline their importance in the regional megalithic heritage. Their precise location is indicated as 5 Rue Pierre de Ronsard in Sel-de-Bretagne, with a cartographic accuracy deemed fair (level 5/10).

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