In Saint-Just, at the heart of the Pays de Redon area, the moorlands known as the ‘Landes de Cojoux’ form one of the major prehistoric sites in Brittany. There’s a surprisingly wide range of different monuments at the site. Start off by visiting the ‘Maison Nature et Mégalithes’ discovery centre before walking around the dolmens and menhirs.
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Discover Saint-Just
Stone Age man visited the holy site of Saint-Just regularly over many thousands of years. Our distant ancestors settled on this dry moorland and assembled a group of megalithic monuments that is unique in Europe. Now visitors can discover these places of worship and the funeral monuments, some of which are more like sanctuaries. Before setting off on the 7 km discovery trail, stop and look at the permanent exhibition at the discovery centre: the Maison Nature et Mégalithes. Information points along the trail add extra interest to your tour.
There have been many archaeological excavations at this site on the Landes de Cojoux. These have revealed that the megaliths were built between 4,500 and 1,500 years before our era. As you walk around, you can see the dolmens of La Croix Saint-Pierre, Le Château Bû and Le Four Sarrazin as well as the alignments known as Les Demoiselles de Cojoux. According to legend, these damsels were turned to stone because they went dancing instead of going to mass!
Did you know
Move a menhir!
Surely only giants can move a menhir? Not at all! At the fun workshops on offer at Saint-Just’s discovery centre, the Maison Nature et Mégalithes, one of the things you can learn is how to stand up one of these stones, which can weigh up to several tonnes!
An amazing natural setting
Around the blocks of granite, nature is blooming in all its many colours and scents. As the seasons change, the moorlands are filled with yellow gorse, white rockrose and dark violet bell-heather… To sustain the land, with its outcrops of purple schist, and the area’s biodiversity, Poitevine horses and Highland cattle have been given the job of grazing the meadows. These non-indigenous breeds are preserving a landscape that is typically Breton and naturally magical!
