Hostié de Viviane in the Magical Forêt de Brocéliande
The Hostié de Viviane (Vivian’s Hostié) is a group of megaliths arranged in an ellipse, located in the heart of the moors of the Forêt de Brocéliande.
The locals affectionately call it Maison de Viviane (Viviane’s House); the Gallo word hostié means house. According to an ancient legend, these stones once formed the walls of the castle where the fairy Vivian used to meditate in peace.
The Hostié de Viviane is also known as theTombeau des Druides (Tomb of the Druids), because it was a burial chamber. Built around 4500 BC on the summit of a 191-meter-high hill, it consists of a single chamber surrounded by smaller stones, arranged in a 19-meter ellipse. Excavations of the site have unearthed numerous artefacts, including polished axes, pottery shards, flint tools, arrowheads and fragments of jewellery.
Nearby, archaeologists have also unearthed another megalith, a dolmen, suggesting that the hill served as a place dedicated to the Dead. It is assumed that the druids repurposed these sacred sites for their religious practices, although no druidic tomb has ever been discovered there.
The magic paths leading to the Hostié de Viviane
You can get to the Hostié de Viviane via two routes, each with its own legend.
If you are an adventurous hiker, you can get there by following the trails that wind through the Valley of no Return, in the heart of Morgan le Fay‘s Domain. But beware, for the Grass of Forgetting grows along these paths, erasing memories and leading walkers astray!
A safer option: drive to the hamlet of La Touche Guérin, where a small parking lot marks the start of a ten-minute walk to the Hostié. This trail follows a farm track that climbs to the top of a rocky ridge, said to be the spine of a sleeping dragon. Legend has it that this ancient creature has slept soundly since the dawn of time, unaffected by the tumult of men. However, you are warned not to venture too close to the dragon’s sensitive spot, because if you inadvertently touch it, you risk incurring its wrath!
Whether it is considered the Land of the Dead or the Fairy Castle nestled in the heart of the moors, the Hostié de Viviane will take you on the threshold of the realm of the imagination.
Discover the magical Forêt de Brocéliande other sites
Tombeau de Merlin, Fontaine de Jouvence, Chêne des Hindrés, Château de Comper, Chêne d’Eon or Chêne à Guillotin, Fontaine de Barenton, Jardin aux Moines, Eglise du Graal in Tréhorenteuc, Miroir aux Fées and Arbre d’Or in the Val Sans Retour, Tombeau des Géants ou Roche à la Vieille, Abbey of Paimpont, Forges de Paimpont and Pierres Droites and the Arthurian Legend
Department of Ille-et-Vilaine
Directions: Follow the D40 from Paimpont to Trecesson – You’ll find a small car park to the right and at the exit of La Touche Guérin hamlet.
Follow the farm track originating by the car park , keep to the right for about 200m. Walking shoes compulsory.
Coordinates: Lat 48.000627 – Long -2.269342
