Visit Saint Samson’s Cathedral

The unfinished North Tower

In fact, the North Tower is unfinished. This tower raises questions, construction defect or mysterious spirit? This peculiarity has given rise to a number of legends, here are two examples:
“Time and again, attempts were made to continue building the tower, but a mysterious hand caused the stones added during the day to fall and the flames devoured the work done! “During the battle between the Archangel Saint-Michel and the Devil, the Archangel threw a stone that fell on the cathedral, destroyed part of the North Tower, was planted in a field and now forms the Menhir du Champ Dolent. “
But the realities of the time explain that due to a lack of financial resources, the North Tower simply could not be finished.

Opposite it, the great South Tower, square and massive, was designed to house the bells. With its soaring towards the sky, it was also, for the bishopric, the symbol of an institution, its power and its might.

At the back, the square tower, the crossing of the transept and the nave bears a square tower without buttresses and devoid of windows. It is not very high and ends in a low-slung pyramidal roof covered in slate.
The whole structure reaches a height of 23 metres below ground level and the current high altar.
As we walk around this cathedral, we can see from the north façade that it looks like a fortress. A cathedral that defends itself, but why? The crenellations, its austere appearance and the remains of the ramparts at the foot of the cathedral indicate that the monument enclosed the fortified town in the 11th century. This explains why this north facade has that fortress-like appearance.

Now that we’ve taken a tour of the Cathedral, let’s return to the front entrance and go inside to admire the splendour of the interior. But before entering, watch out for the gargoyles that are here, the guardians of Good. Their job is to ward off any evil spirits or demons. Legend has it that the gargoyles would howl at the approach of Evil, whether visible or invisible… And the wind would start whistling through the arches of the building.

What do you say to discovering what’s hidden inside this imposing granite shell?

As we enter the Cathedral, we discover all its splendour, the nave 39.3 metres long and 17.1 metres wide unfolds before us. In front of us, the great eastern stained glass window, the oldest in Brittany, dates back to the 13th century. It depicts the Last Judgement, Christ, the angels, heaven, hell, the Old and New Testaments, the first bishops of Dol, the arrival of Saint Samson in Dol-de-Bretagne… When the sun repaints the colours of the stained glass windows in the cathedral, the magic happens, a gentle and eternal alliance between light and shadow.
Above us, the great organ dating from the 16th century was completely renovated in 2015, and has a forest of 2632 pipes. On our left, in the front nave, at the foot of the North Tower, we can see the remains of the first Romanesque cathedral.
Let’s take a quiet stroll down one of the aisles leading to the choir. At the top of one of the columns, you can see a seated, bearded figure who has been the guardian of the site since the 15th century. There are no other figures of this type on the other columns. This guardian is still keeping watch, and even if he seems a little eaten away by time, the centuries have not affected what is most precious about him: his beauty and mystery…

The peaceful path to the chapels

On our peaceful path to the choir chapels, let’s stop to observe a curiosity unique in France and Europe, a double well. The inner shaft of the cathedral is linked to the outer shaft by an underground gallery. At 12 metres deep, they extend right down to the foundations of the cathedral. The inner shaft is older, dating back to Gallo-Roman times. According to the writings, Saint Samson arrived near a well to found a monastery, and the inner well dates from this period.
Continuing on to the choir. The choir has an openwork triforium that gives it a special elegance, and is lined with 77 carved stalls dating from the 14th century. Their consoles represent the heads of figures and animals, which, if they could speak, would tell us about the memories of the bishops and canons, the perfumes of wax and incense, the songs, the music, the dramas and the ceremonies.
Near the altar is the episcopal seat, also known as the Cathedra (hence the name Cathedral). The high altar dates from 1963, and is made of refractory terracotta without moulding. The sculptor Claude Gruet worked directly on the material. It depicts Saint-Samson sailing towards Dol-de-Bretagne and Saint-Magloire negotiating with the English.

We leave you to discover the ten chapels surrounding the choir, including two double chapels, and an apse chapel decorated with painted frescoes depicting a celestial vault, via the ambulatory.
On your way back to the exit, you can discover the well-preserved tomb of Thomas James, a 15th-century bishop and one of Brittany’s oldest Renaissance tombs. Well preserved, it is one of the oldest Renaissance tombs in Brittany.
Note that if you plan your visit to the cathedral on the summer solstice, June 21, you can observe an impressive solar phenomenon: a strange light strikes this tomb at the sixth hour after sunrise (noon by our watch), illuminating the vial of immortality and the dove of the Holy Spirit.

As our exploration of Dol-de-Bretagne Cathedral draws to a close, we can take time to sit down and continue our contemplation, while respecting the sacredness of the place. “Silence is golden.”