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There is a place in the south of French Brittany marked in red by history buffs.
Or rather, from Prehistory.
In the
Gulf of Morbihan
, which proudly guards one of the most beautiful bays in the world, hides the uninhabited and enigmatic
island of Gavrinis,
a geological jewel of granite formation 750 meters long by 400 meters wide.
The extension does not exceed 30 hectares, enough to house the so-called
Neolithic Sistine Chapel
, built more than 6,000 years ago.
The
guided tours
(there can be no other way) last about 50 minutes and thanks to them we discover the keys to this archaeological site known as the
cairn
(
Neolithic burial mound
) of Gravinis.
It is a construction of dry stones with a funeral vocation formed by a single chamber and a corridor in which up to 29 giant slabs alternate.
Inside the archaeological monument.
You can get here by taking a boat from the pretty
port of Larmor-Baden
.
The crossing takes a short time, about 15 minutes, enough to contemplate the beauty of the place, between marshes,
lighthouses, exuberant vegetation
, more than 1,500 types of birds and the second most powerful sea current in Europe, that of
Jument.
Hence, it has been an impregnable site since time immemorial.
Once on the island, it is possible to take
guided hiking trails
to enjoy the local flora and views of the bay, but there are no beaches for sunbathing, no restaurants, no hotels or houses... The fundamental objective of every visitor is to know the
cairn,
considered one of the most outstanding
megalithic sites
in Europe.
The guide explains the keys of the site.I.
GARCIA
Built around
3,500 BC
, as we said, this dry stone tomb 50 meters in diameter by eight meters high contains a dolmen that is accessed after crossing a 14-meter corridor
in complete darkness
.
Therefore, you must enter with a flashlight provided by the guides and without backpacks that can rub against the walls.
In addition, groups cannot exceed eight people at most.
similar to fingerprints
The first thing one thinks of when contemplating any of the
29 huge vertical rocks
that make up the French site is that they resemble gigantic fingerprints due to the circular engravings that each one of them shows.
There is everything: polished axes, bows, arrows, snakes,
crosses, whirlwinds, boats, goats
... Not surprisingly, the meaning of the name Gavrinis in Breton is none other than
"the island of the goat"
, since it derives from the compound term
gavr
(goat) and
enez
(island).
Entrance to the archaeological site of Gavrinis.SHUTTERSTOCK
It is one of the notes that stands out once Marie Tudal, cicerone of the island, left the site.
He also says that "
it took more than eight months to make these inscriptions
on each rock, all linked to elements of Prehistory. A really incredible job," he adds.
It is believed that the burial could have been collective, housing up to
10 people
, although "no human remains have been found due to the acidity of these granite soils, but it is believed that
those buried were accompanied by axes, jewelry or ceramics
and other elements. that symbolized prestige at the time", says the expert Tudal.
the owner of the island
The first explorations of the Gavrinis
cairn
date back to the 12th century, when some
Templar monks
settled on the island, set up a farm and a chapel, and one fine day they found it by chance.
It is believed that they dug a
kind of crater
in the upper part of the site, since it was covered, and thus descended into it.
We owe the first archives of the monument to
Canon Mahé,
an expert in megalithic studies.
Then it would be the owner of the island (yes, it was private),
Mr. Cauzique
, the one who would sneak back inside.
Intrigued by what was there, he hired some sailors to remove the stones that occupied the current entrance.
It happened in 1832.
A group of tourists, on the island of Gravrinis.IG
Three years later,
Prosper Mérimée, scientist, researcher and author of the famous
Carmen
novel
, spoke of the archaeological site in his book
Journey in the West of France,
describing the find as a true prodigy of
unprecedented
beauty .
The following investigations were carried out at the end of the 19th century, when
other funerary structures
were searched around without success.
Already in the 20th century, the French Ministry of Culture took an interest in the place, certifying that the engraved motifs coincide with those of the cover slab of the chamber of
the Table des Marchand de Locmariaquer,
another Neolithic dolmen found in the Gulf of Morbihan .
The reason for their separation is still unknown...
PRACTICAL GUIDE
HOW TO GET.
Iberia
flies to Nantes from Spain.
Vannes is an hour and a quarter drive away.
To go to the island of Gavrinis you have to take a ferry from the port of Larmor-Baden.
WHERE TO SLEEP.
At
Le Galet
, a pleasant spa hotel in La Trinité-sur-Mer.
From 70 euros.
And in
Ty Mad
, an old 25-room bourgeois house in the port of Tudy on the island of Groix with a terrace and swimming pool.
From 79 euros.
WHERE TO EAT
.
The Gulf of Morbihan is full of top restaurants.
In Auray,
P'tit Goustan
, recommended by the 2022 Michelin Guide, serves creative haute cuisine.
In Vannes, the
Signé Lecocq
seafood
brasserie
.
In Groix,
Café de la Jetée, Les Garçons du Port, Crepêrie des Îles, Auberge du Pêcheur
or
Bistrot Bao
are good options to taste fresh and smoked fish (mussels and oysters are a must) or Breton
crêpes
with cider.
Le B (Port-Louis) is ideal for eating local delicacies facing the sea.
MORE INFORMATION
.
On the Brittany Tourism
website in Spanish
: www.vacaciones-bretana.com
You can follow
El Mundo Viajes
on
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