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Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo is a
walled port
city in Brittany
in northern France
on the English Channel.
History
Saint-Malo during
the Middle Ages was a fortified island
at the mouth of the Rance River, controlling not only the estuary
but the open sea beyond. The promontory fort of Aleth, south of the
modern centre in what is now the Saint-Servan district, commanded approaches to
the Rance even before the Romans, but modern Saint-Malo traces its origins
to a monastic
settlement founded by Saint Aaron and Saint Brendan
early in the 6th century. Its name is derived from a man said
to have been a follower of Brendan, Saint Malo.
In later centuries
it became notorious as the home of a fierce breed of pirate-mariners
who were never quite under anyone's control but their own; for 4 years
from 1590,
Saint-Malo
even declared itself to be an independent republic,
taking up the motto ěnot French, not Breton, but Maloisî. The Corsairs
of Saint-Malo not only forced English ships passing up the Channel to
pay tribute, but also brought wealth from further afield. Jacques Cartier,
who sailed the St Lawrence
river and visited the sites of Quebec City
and Montréal
- and is thus credited as the discoverer of Canada, lived
in and sailed from Saint-Malo, as did the first colonists to settle
the Falklands
‚ hence the islands' Argentinian name, Las Malvinas, from the French Malouins.
Now inseparably
attached to the mainland, Saint-Malo is the most
visited place in Brittany.
What to see ?
The walled city. Destroyed
in 1944 the town has been completely rebuilt in its original style,
which renders it unique in France.
You can admire the view of the bay
of Saint-Malo as
you walk the 2
kilometres (1.5
miles) of ramparts that surround the walled town,
from the Saint-Vincent Gate to the Saint-Thomas Gate. In the old town,
you will discover the picturesque streets and the corsair dwellings
as you walk the "Saint-Malo Historique" marked pathways.
The National
Fort. Opposite the castle
on the Sillon beach, the national fort was built in 1689 by Vauban and
Garangeau with granite from Chausey. It offers a beautiful view of the
walled-town. Accessible only at low tide.
The Ile de Grand Bé. Seen from the walled
city, but only to be reached at low tide from the beach of Bon Secours,
this islet is the final resting place of the famous writer FranÁois
René de Chateaubriand. You can also discover the vestiges of an ancient
fort and the laying out of the Second World War.
The Cathedral
of St. Vincent. The original church, built in the 9th century, was burnt down
during the attack by the Franks. Rebuilt by the archbishop Jean de Ch’tillon
in the 12th century it became a cathedral in 1146. Built
over nearly seven centuries it was finished in 1987 when the spire in
the shape of a granite arrow was fitted. You can listen to magnificent
choir concerts and organ playing.
LINK : http://www.saint-malo.fr/en/index.php4
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