The Cairn de Gavrinis

When I first thought about going to Brittany, my aim was to see the Alignments of Carnac, which I first read about in the book "The Crystal Cave", a retelling of the legend of Merlin by Mary Stewart. Reading about other things we might do whilst in the area, I looked at ferry rides to islands in the Bay if Biscay - Belle-Île-en-Mer, or Île d'Houat. Both of these held some appeal, but then a note about Gavrinis caught my eye.

The Cairn de Gavrinis is on the island of Gavrinis in the Gulf of Morbihan. It's a Neolithic passage tomb built about 5,500 years ago at the beginnings of agriculture and the move away from being hunter gatherers. At that time the Gulf of Morbihan was a series of broad river valleys, and sea level was about 25 metres lower than it is now. The photos make look like it was earth covered, but the earth and grass has accumulated naturally, and originally the bare stone would have been visible from a long distance. It would have been a real statement piece, proclaiming that the territory was occupied.

The Cairn from the entrance to the Gulf of Morbihan, 3km away.

The island and tomb can only be visited in small groups on a guided tour. We have had great results booking these sorts of visits in the past, and the photos looked intriguing. We took the ferry from Larmor-Baden, which costs 20€ and includes the ferry to the island and a tour given by an archeologist. For some reason I didn't expect to be able to actually walk into the tomb without someone standing over me, nor be allowed to take photos (albeit without a flash).

Our ride out to the island approaches

The cairn is of a large mound of stones, built without mortar, approximately 50 metres in diameter and 6 metres high, covering a passage that leads to a central chamber. Inside is a passage about 14 metres long, lined with large slabs of stone many of which are adorned with carvings of spirals, lines, and other geometric patterns. 

The entrance to the Cairn. This is how it would originally have looked, but this face has been restored.

At the end of the passage is a chamber with a corbelled roof constructed from large stone slabs forming a rectangular room. The purpose of the cairn and its carvings is presumed to be related to burial practices and the veneration of ancestors.

Our photos were taken without a flash. Some of the professional photos are much more revealing.

Excavations and studies have revealed that some of the stones used in the construction of Gavrinis came from other locations, including from earlier tombs, and parts broken from large menhirs. The carvings are mysterious and abstract, and many interpretations and theories exist. I doubt we'll ever know what they mean, but it's keeping "better" minds than mine occupied.