Menhir de Champ-Dolent

The Menhir de Champ-Dolent ([me.niʁ də ʃɑ̃.dɔ.lɑ̃]; Breton: Maen-hir dolenn) is a menhir, or upright standing stone, located in a field outside the town of Dol-de-Bretagne. It is the largest standing stone in Brittany and is over 9 meters high.

Menhir de Champ-Dolent
Shown within Brittany
Menhir de Champ-Dolent (France)
LocationBrittany
Coordinates48.5350°N 1.73917°W / 48.5350; -1.73917
TypeMenhir
History
Periods5th millennium BC

Location

The Menhir du Champ-Dolent is 2 kilometres (1 mile) south of Dol-de-Bretagne in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine.[1][2] It is in a small picnic area fenced off among the fields near the D795 road.[3][4]

Description

The menhir is the tallest of Brittany's standing stones.[1] Its height above ground is between 9.3 and 9.5 metres (about 31 feet).[5] It is made of pinkish granite,[4] quarried about 2.5 mi (4.0 km) away,[6] and has an estimated weight of around 100 tonnes.[5] It is oval in shape with a smooth surface.[2] A cross was once placed on top to Christianize it.[7] It is not precisely dated, but recent scholarship suggests that Brittany's menhirs were erected c. 5000–4000 BC.[8]

It has been registered as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1889.[9]

In folklore

According to legend, the menhir fell from the skies to separate two feuding brothers who were on the point of killing each other.[3][7] This legend is said to account for the name "Champ Dolent" which means "Field of Sorrow".[1] In reality, the word dolent is more likely to derive from Breton dolenn ("meadow").[10]

Another legend states that the menhir is slowly sinking into the ground, and the world will end when it disappears altogether.[3]

According to tradition, in the year 560 Chlothar I, King of the Franks, is said to have met his rebel son, Chram, here.[11]

See also

References
  1. DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Brittany: Brittany. Dorling Kindersley. 2013. p. 70. ISBN 1409331407.
  2. Pozzi, Alberto (2014). Megalithism: Sacred and Pagan Architecture in Prehistory. Universal. p. 328. ISBN 1612332552.
  3. Ward, Greg (2003). Brittany and Normandy. Rough Guides. p. 235. ISBN 1843530767.
  4. Barbour, Philippe (2005). Brittany. New Holland. p. 126. ISBN 1860111424.
  5. Danze, Jean (2011). Le secret des menhirs: de Bretagne et d'ailleurs (in French). La Découvrance. p. 22. ISBN 2842657004.
  6. Heath, Julian (November 15, 2019). "Exploring Megalithic Europe: Amazing Sites to See for Yourself". Rowman & Littlefield – via Google Books.
  7. Barbour, Philippe; Facaros, Dana; Pauls, Michael (2004). France. New Holland. p. 213. ISBN 186011881X.
  8. Eyewitness, D. K. (June 1, 2017). "DK Eyewitness Brittany". Dorling Kindersley Limited – via Google Books.
  9. (in French) Ministère de la culture, Inventaire Général du patrimoine culturel, notice on "Menhir de Champ Dolent", 2003.
  10. "Celtic Culture: A-Celti". ABC-CLIO. July 27, 2006 – via Google Books.
  11. Spence, Lewis (1917). Legends and Romances of Brittany. Courier. p. 40.

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