Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Les Roches du Diable form a megalithic ensemble located in Miniac-sous-Bécherel, Ille-et-Vilaine (Bretagne). Dating from Neolithic, this site is distinguished by two imposing dolerite blocks, one standing and the other overturned, surrounded by about sixty smaller stones. These elements suggest an initially larger set, now partially preserved in a grove.

Ranked a historic monument in 1960, the site illustrates local megalithic architecture, with materials of near origin giving the stones their low and rounded shape. The dolerite, a volcanic rock typical of the region, was used to erect these structures, whose exact function remains debated (ritual, funeral or symbolic).

A local legend tells that shepherds, trying to lay the two stones in a day, would have abandoned their task after lifting the first one, preferring nap to effort. This folk tale reflects the commitment of rural communities to these enigmatic monuments, integrated for millennia into the Breton landscape and narratives.

The site is referenced in archaeological works, such as Les megalithes du département d'Ille-et-Vilaine (2004), which emphasize its importance in the regional heritage. The Devil's Rocks are part of a wider network of Breton megalithic sites, which witness Neolithic cultural and spiritual practices.

Administratively, the monument has been protected since 28 December 1960, with a precise location at 5184 Le Verger, 35190 Miniac-sous-Bécherel. Its conservation is both its historical value and its anchoring in the territory, marked by the Insee code 35180 for the municipality.

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