The Allée Couverte Arc-Boutée de Kerantiec is a Neolithic megalithic monument located in Riec-sur-Bélon in the Finistère department of Brittany. The monument was first recognized in June 1947 by Pierre-Roland Giot and J. Cogné and was officially classified as a historic monument by decree on December 16, 1953.
The structure is notable for being arc-buttressed. While this type of monument is uncommon, a few examples exist in the south of Finistère (Lesconil, Castel-Ruffel) and in Morbihan. It is oriented along a slight east-west axis. The architectural design consisted of one wall of the tomb leaning against the other, which saved on cover stones but significantly reduced the volume of the burial chamber.
Eight pillars forming the southern row are strongly inclined and lean against the northern pillars, which stand almost vertically, with two reaching or exceeding a height of 2 meters. Other pillars have fallen horizontally. The headslab is relatively small but has remained in a vertical position. The entrance was located to the east, and the internal width of the chamber does not exceed 1 meter.
The stones used for the construction are almost entirely Moëllan granite, sometimes migmatized, except for one pillar made of local gneiss œillé. Yohann Sparfel and Yvan Pailler include the site in their 2011 inventory of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in Finistère.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
Discuss this with the author and others
No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.