Dol (Dol de Bretagne) – Cathedral, Menhir and a magnificent view

What shall I say and what shall I tell, to the city of Dol in the region? Brittany It turned out to be a somewhat boring place name. In fact, if you walk the streets of the Old City you will come across a sign that tells you thatVictor Hugo Stayed in Dol for one night with his lover Juliette Drouet And almost died of boredom (he wrote that it was not a city but a single street). Add to that René de Chateaubriand, the famous French writer, did study in the city, but the next time he bothered to visit there was during his own funeral procession.

In short, with such public relations, it is not surprising that Dole and its surroundings have somewhat disappeared from the radar of the Israeli traveler in Brittany, and that is a shame. There is a beautiful cathedral there, an impressive minaret and a stunning view not far from there. Or as the poet said, “There is still something in it”…

Dole Cathedral

There is no doubt that the first thing you will see when you arrive in Dole is its cathedral, and rightly so. It is an impressive building of its kind. Far from distant Wales, St. Sampson came to Dole in the 6th century (there is a town named after him inGuernsey). Legend has it that he managed to cure the family and wife of the Count who ruled the area of ​​leprosy and as a result they agreed to convert to Christianity. It was probably Saint Sampson who founded the first church in Dole and he also became the first bishop of Dole.

During the 13th century, King John of England (1199-1216) burned down the cathedral that was there and in its place they began to build the cathedral that still exists today. When you stand in front of the cathedral, you will immediately notice something interesting. The cathedral has two towers, but only one of them is intact. Legend has it that the cathedral was built with two towers, but a few years later the devil came to Brittany and in front of it stands Saint Michael, better known to us as Saint Michel.

The battle between the two took place on Mont Dole, which we will talk about later, during which the devil took a huge menhir and threw it towards Saint-Michel. Luckily for him, Saint-Michel managed to dodge the menhir, which flew and hit the church's bell tower. On the other hand, there is another version that says that they did not finish building the tower because they simply ran out of money. I will leave it to you to decide which version to believe.

Before you enter the cathedral, pay attention to the somewhat primitive statue standing in front of it. This is the statue of Nominua (800-851). Nominative) The first Duke of Brittany, who is considered the father of the Breton nation and was crowned here as King of Brittany in 850. Numinois was appointed Duke of Brittany by King Louis the Pious in 831, but during the 40s and 50s he did not stop rebelling against the king. FranceUpon his death in 851, a duchy (and even a short-lived kingdom) of Brittany was created, and to this day Nominua remains a symbol in the eyes of supporters of Brittany's independence.

When you enter the church you will discover how beautiful it is inside. There are ancient stained glass windows (some from the 15th century), statues depicting the life of Jesus above the west door and even the bishop's chair (from the 16th century). You will also discover quite a few interesting tombs here, most of them of the bishops of Dole. The most famous of them is that of Thomas James, who was the bishop of Dole between 1482 and 1504. This tomb, created by an Italian artist, is considered the first Renaissance work in Brittany and is definitely worth a visit.

The Old City and the Market

After visiting the cathedral, you can go and visit the old town adjacent to it. There you will find quite a few ancient wooden houses from the 13th-18th centuries, including the house where he lived. Victor HugoAs you wander down the Grand rue des Stuarts, you will discover not only these beautiful old houses, but also that this is where the dynasty was created, which would rule England between 1603 and 1714. It turns out that the ancestor of the family, Walter Fitz Alan, whose great-grandfather fought alongside William the Conqueror in 1066, was a Breton nobleman. His descendants later came to Scotland and received the title of Stuart (a kind of finance minister) from the King of Scotland, and after the title began to be inherited, they adopted it as a family name.

Beyond the ancient streets, there is also a market that functions as a food market every Tuesday afternoon and the rest of the time functions as a workshop for the various artists who work there. It is definitely recommended, if you have already come this far, to come in and also to be impressed by the statue of the young Chateaubriand, which is located in front of the market.

Dole's Manhir

Remember the famous menhir that according to legend the devil threw at Saint-Michel? It is still here, not far from the town itself (drive 2 km south and look for the Menhir du Champ-Dolent). Apparently the devil really had quite a bit of power during the island period because Danny Ashkenazi tried to move it but without any success.

The Menhir, more than 9 meters high and weighing about 100 tons, stands in the middle of the field and is considered the tallest menhir in Brittany. In addition to the legend that the Menhir came here as a result of the fight between the Devil and Saint Michel, there is another legend that says that the Menhir landed right between two others who were arguing about who owned the field, and thus caused them to reconcile. And one last legend for today: Some claim that the Menhir is slowly sinking into the ground and when it sinks completely, the end of the world will come. In the caption, you are invited to choose the legend that you like the most. Danny was very enthusiastic about this Menhir, while in my opinion all these Neolithic structures are nothing more than a wave of stones 🙂

Mont Dol

And finally we arrive at Mont Dole, a hill about 65 meters above sea level, which is about a fifteen-minute drive from Dole itself. Here, as mentioned, the battle between the Devil and Saint Michel took place, and speaking of Saint Michel, you can see the famous monastery named after him from the Notre Dame tower on top of the hill.

Beyond the charming view of the Bay of Saint-Michel, you will also find a Gothic church and two windmills not far from here, one of which is sometimes open to visitors. And if you want another legend about the place, here is one. Rabelais writes in his book Gargantua and Pantagruel that the giant Gargantua was walking not far from the Bay of Saint-Michel when he felt a pebble get into his shoe. He took off his shoe and discovered two stones that he had thrown. One of them became Mount Dole and the other Mont Saint-Michel.

So what did we have? A magnificent cathedral, the highest minaret in Brittany and an amazing view of the sea. There's a lot to say about Dole, but it's not boring.

Want to live in Dole?

Dole is not a bad place at all as a base for stargazing in northern Brittany. From there you can reach Mont Saint Michel, Dinan, Cancale, Saint Malo and other places. So if you have decided that you want to live there, you are welcome to find vacation apartments and hotels inLink this.