Behind the granite, the light
Welcome to Dol La Mystérieuse. You won’t see that title written on any map, but make a mental note of it. Here is a real promise for the time traveller, the one who wants to retrace the streets and years of this Breton gem, shrouded in stories and legends.
For this stopover, take it upon yourself to discover a myriad of monuments. Erected since the Neolithic period, the gigantic menhir of Champ Dolent, 9.30 metres high, will amaze you and will be the starting point for the historical riches that await you in the former episcopal city of Dol, labelled a Petite Cité de Caractère®. This town will charm you with its master street, narrow lanes and timber-framed houses. Get caught up in its story as you walk up the Grande Rue des Stuarts, named in honour of the kings of Scotland and England, whose ancestor was a native of Dolois. You’re in the heart of historic Brittany, where chief Nominoë unified the Breton nation in the 9th century and gave it its power by erecting a church that would become a majestic cathedral: the Cathedral of Saint-Samson. A jewel that is both rugged, with its fortified north face, and full of finesse with its luminous Gothic architecture, hosting radiant, delicately chiselled stained glass windows. The large stained glass window, the oldest in Brittany, is a masterpiece not to be missed. Protected by the ramparts, continue your visit to the Maison de La Grisardière, then the Maison des Petits Palets, the oldest Romanesque building in Brittany, splendid with its large arcades. We won’t say any more… It’s up to you to come and unlock the secrets of the place.
Cathedrale Saint Samson Dol De Bretagne Simon Bourcier 889
Maisons A Pans De Bois Grand Rue Des Stuarts Dol De Bretagne Alexandre Lamoureux 1018
Jardin Des Douves Dol De Bretagne Alexandre Lamoureux 1021
Vue En Drone Le Mont Dol Alexandre Lamoureux 1030
Escalade Mont Dol Alexandre Lamoureux 304
Statue Notre Dame De L Esperance Mont Dol Simon Bourcier 876Le Mont-Dol
Diably imposing
This terrest dominating the marshes, at 65 metres high, has been sacred and legendary land since prehistoric times, with a breathtaking panorama over the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.
At the foot of the village, the frescoes of Saint-Pierre Church, dating from the 12th and 15th centuries, bear witness to the sacred power that inhabits this granite mountain teeming with legends. It is said that the Devil built a huge palace on a rock (Le Mont Saint-Michel), and that, jealous, Saint Michael offered to exchange it with a glass castle at the top of Mont-Dol. The castle turned out to be made of ice and melted to form the pond there. Today Mont-Dol, a Palaeolithic site, is also a climbing spot.
