The parking lot is always full of tourists. We always come from afar to see the famous alignments of Carnac (Morbihan). Nobody is however aware of the affair which agitates the municipality and the social networks: the destruction of 39 menhirs on the construction site of a Mr Bricolage. And for good reason, the stones in question were not part of this remarkable set, but were located ten minutes away, in an ordinary activity area, near the waste disposal center.
Not really enough to print postcards, and yet, the revelation of the destruction of these megaliths had the effect of a bomb. “We have been aware for a month and since then there has been panic, recognizes the mayor’s chief of staff, Carole Mercier. We fear that this will harm the Unesco application for the megaliths of Carnac and the banks of the Morbihan. For ten years now, local players have been hoping to obtain World Heritage listing. The file was going to be filed at the start of the school year.
The archaeologist discovers the site by chance
“It all sounds a bit amateurish,” mocks Jean, a resident. The affair began in December 2014 when the Drac (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs, which depends on the Ministry of Culture) and the regional archeology service were asked to give their opinion on an application for a Chemin de Montauban building permit in Carnac. At the time, the owner, Mr. Doriel, wanted to build a supermarket there. As the project is located near other remains dating from the Neolithic era, it was decided to prescribe an archaeological diagnosis… just in case.
A rich idea because the Inrap engineer, Stéphan Hinguant, then discovered two rows of megaliths hidden by brushwood. The site seems promising but, in order to certify its Neolithic origin, the Drac prescribed an archaeological dig in July 2015. It will never take place because the building permit is refused for environmental and regulatory considerations. The menhirs of Montauban are then added to the list of sites for the Unesco project.
But, in 2022, the owner submits a new request for a DIY store, which this time is accepted! Stéphan Hinguant, the archaeologist, discovered the site by chance in April 2023. “Scientifically, it’s a real mess. It was the first time in a long time that we discovered unpublished menhirs in Carnac, he regrets. There must have been an administrative hiccup. »
The town hall qualifies: “There were perhaps four interesting blocks from a scientific point of view”. Only a search could have confirmed it. “But why didn’t it happen? asks the chief of staff, referring to the Drac. “We checked, everything was handled perfectly. The plot was not in an archaeological protection prescription zone. “So we instructed and the Drac validated. »
Isabelle Chardonnier, the director of cultural affairs, also relativizes the value of the remains and does not recognize responsibility. “In 2015, we had not yet gone digital and we had sent an excavation prescription order to the owner in hard copy. The town hall was also the recipient, ”she explains.
The association for the defense of Koun Breizh heritage has decided to file a complaint so that “all the light is shed on the decision-making chain”.
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