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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

La Roche à la Bergère, also known as Grande-Roche or Menhir de Bel Air, is a megalithic monument located in the municipality of Sion-les-Mines, in the Loire-Atlantique department. This quartz block, measuring 2.85 m high for 1.60 m wide and 1 m thick, was erected on a small stony hill. Its origin dates back to Neolithic, a period marked by the erection of many megaliths in Europe.

Menhir was classified as historic monuments on 17 June 1983, thus recognizing its heritage importance. It is also referenced in historical works, such as the Archaeological Dictionary of the Loire-Inferior (1882), which attests to its seniority and its integration into the local megalithic landscape. Its exact location, near Forest Street, makes it a point of interest for the study of neolithic funeral and cultural practices.

This type of monument, typical of megalithism, probably served as a territorial landmark, place of worship or funeral marker. In the Pays de la Loire region, menhirs such as that of Sion-les-Mines bear witness to the technical skills and social organization of the Neolithic communities, which carried and erected these massive stones without metal tools. Their presence reflects an ancient and structured human occupation, linked to the emerging agriculture and livestock.

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