Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Kercambre Menhir, also known as the Yellow Stone, is a white quartzite block about 1.5 m high, located in the municipality of Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys, in the Morbihan. Located south of the hamlet of Kerroux, on the shore, its current location probably results from the rise of the sea level since the Neolithic era of its erection. Its dimensions at the base (1.2 m wide and 1 m thick) and its deteriorated state – especially by graffiti – make it a fragile but emblematic vestige of the Breton megalithic heritage.

Ranked a historic monument by order of March 25, 1970, this menhir illustrates the cultural and religious practices of neolithic societies, which erected these stones for reasons that are still partially mysterious (territorial markers, funeral symbols or astronomical symbols). Its material, white quartzite, contrasts with the most common granites in the region, highlighting the diversity of resources exploited by prehistoric builders. Today, it remains accessible near the path of the Yellow Stone, although its isolation and human aggression threaten its conservation.

The site is part of a wider set of Morbihan megaliths, reflecting a dense human occupation during the Neolithic period. Brittany, rich in monuments of this type, offers a privileged terrain for the study of sedentary communities which, around 4000-2000 BC, structured their space with these raised stones. The Yellow Stone of Kercambre, although modest in size, participates in this exceptional heritage, now protected and documented by the departments of the Ministry of Culture.

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