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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Dolmen dit Dolmen de la Forêt, located in Gennes-Val-de-Loire in the Pays de la Loire, is a megalithic building emblematic of the Neolithic period. This angelvin-to-portico dolmen, classified as a historical monument in 1980, is distinguished by its imposing dimensions: 10.5 meters long and 5 meters wide inside. It consists of a bedroom delimited by a bedside slab, side orthostats, and covered with two sandstone blanket tables. The entrance, framed by two slabs, retains a square table inclined northward.

During the excavations carried out in 1897, a skeleton was discovered in the room, without funeral furniture, suggesting a post-construction burial. Three flints of flint, preserved at the Angers Museum, are associated with the site. A natural drawing evoking a bovidus head and an engraved eye adorn one of the entrance pillars, adding a symbolic dimension to the monument. This dolmen illustrates the funeral and artistic practices of the Neolithic societies of the region.

The site, also known as the Covered Stone of Pagerie, has been protected since 1990 for its specific elements (Cadastre ZH 72). Its sandstone structure and complex architecture make it a rare testimony of the Angelian megalithic constructions. Studies, such as those of Michel Gruet in Mégalithes en Anjou (2005), underline its importance in understanding the local traditions of the time.

The precise location of the dolmen, near the place called Le Marais Beauvais, is documented in the Mérimée and Monumentum bases. Although its access and visibility vary, it remains a major point of interest for the archaeology and heritage of the Pays de la Loire.

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