Jardin aux Moines, a ancient burial chamber
The Jardin aux Moines (Monks’ Garden) is located along the D141 road, north of Tréhorenteuc, in the mysterious Forêt de Brocéliande.
Forty megaliths surround a 27-meter-long tumulus or cairn, which houses two distinct chambers.
The eastern chamber dates from around 3000 BC and is the older of the two. The western, rectangular chamber was added later in the Bronze Age, as confirmed by archaeological excavations carried out in 1980.
These megaliths were carved from local quartz and red schist, and thus boast colours that change with the light of day. The excavations uncovered two pottery pieces from the late Neolithic period, buried under a bed of red and white stones.
The deliberate use of various coloured stones suggests a funerary ritual whose secrets, alas, we have not yet uncovered and which are just waiting to be revealed.
Legends of the Jardin aux Moines
The Jardin aux Moines offers a striking spectacle. Its stones, mostly intact despite the passage of time, have made it an inseparable element of the mysterious Brocéliande Forest for millennia. It is therefore not surprising that such a place has given rise to legends.
Here is the first one: Long ago, the revered Saint Méen, an emblematic Breton saint, lived on these lands, not far from the debauched and unrepentant monks of the neighbouring monastery.
Unable to tolerate such contempt for piety, the holy man inflicted divine punishment on the wayward monks, transforming them into stone statues, frozen forever in their transgressions.
A second legend tells the story of the lord of Tréhorenteuc and his hunting party, who, oh sacrilege, dared to venture into the forest on the sacred Day of the Dead!
Their contempt for this religious observance earned them divine punishment: they too were petrified, transformed into stone.
This, as you wander through this secluded wood, spare a thought for these unfortunate souls, forever immortalised in stone, and reflect on the power of legends…
Hidden deep within the forest, the Jardin aux Moines is regularly maintained, but you’ll need a GPS to find it.
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, Eglise du Graal in Tréhorenteuc, Miroir aux Fées and Arbre d‘Or in the Val Sans Retour, Hostié de Viviane or Tombeau des Druides, Tombeau des Géants ou Roche à la Vieille, Abbey of Paimpont, Forges de Paimpont and Pierres Droites
Department of Ille-et-Vilaine
Directions: From Tréhorenteux follow D141 towards Mauron, the site is located half a mile on the left side of the road at the first junction after Tréhorenteuc. The megaliths are located 50m from the small car park and inside the woodland.
Coordinates car park Jardin aux Moines – Trehorenteuc: Lat 48.019976 – Long -2.288807
