"The largest menhir alignment in the Mediterranean, standing witness through four millennia of silence"
Palaghju (Palaggiu) Alignment
Sartène, Corsica, France
Deep in the Corsican maquis near Sartene, 258 megaliths rise in seven groups, making Palaghju the largest alignment of standing stones in the entire Mediterranean. Erected approximately 4,000 years ago, many stones have fallen and others lie hidden beneath wild vegetation. Local memory preserved the name 'Campu di i Turchi,' cemetery of the Turks, acknowledging the site's sacred function even as its original meaning was lost.
Weather & Best Time
Plan Your Visit
Save this site and start planning your journey.
Quick Facts
Location
Sartène, Corsica, France
Coordinates
41.4900, 8.8950
Last Updated
Jan 19, 2026
Learn More
Palaghju was constructed approximately 4,000 years ago, around 2000 BCE, by Bronze Age communities of Corsica. With 258 megaliths in seven groups, it is the largest menhir alignment in the Mediterranean. The site has been known locally as 'Campu di i Turchi' (cemetery of the Turks), a name preserving recognition of its sacred function. Conservation has lapsed since 1972, and the site remains on private property with limited access.
Origin Story
The origins of Palaghju lie in the same Bronze Age tradition that created the statue-menhirs at Stantari and the alignments across the Cauria plateau. Approximately 4,000 years ago, communities began transporting and erecting granite megaliths here in numbers that dwarf any other Mediterranean site.
The scale suggests that Palaghju served as a major ceremonial center, perhaps drawing people from across a wide region for rituals we can no longer reconstruct. The seven groups of stones, the consistent north-south orientation, and the presence of some carved figures all speak to sophisticated organization and intention.
Later generations, having lost the specific meaning, named the site 'Campu di i Turchi,' attributing the monuments to a mysterious other people while recognizing their funerary or sacred function. This folk memory, passed down across centuries, preserves something genuine even as specific knowledge was lost.
Spiritual Lineage
No living tradition claims Palaghju. The Bronze Age practices that created and animated the site ended long before written history came to Corsica. Subsequent inhabitants encountered the stones as mysterious remnants of an earlier world. Archaeological work in the twentieth century documented the site's significance, but conservation efforts have not been sustained. The 1972 maintenance represents the last major intervention. Since then, the stones have continued their slow surrender to gravity and vegetation. The site's classification as a historical monument offers legal protection but has not resulted in practical preservation. Today, Palaghju exists in a liminal state between recognized heritage and neglected ruins.
Know a Sacred Site We Should Include?
Help us expand our collection of sacred sites. Share your knowledge and contribute to preserving the world's spiritual heritage.