Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Samson
ChurchHidden Treasure
Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Samson, located in Dol-de-Bretagne (Département 35), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Dol-de-Bretagne, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.5509, -1.7555
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090544
Joyau gothique de Bretagne, la cathédrale Saint-Samson de Dol-de-Bretagne dresse ses deux tours asymétriques depuis le XIIIe siècle, révélant une fascinante synthèse entre art normand et sensibilité bretonne.
History
At the heart of the medieval city of Dol-de-Bretagne, the former capital of a thousand-year-old Breton bishopric, Saint-Samson Cathedral stands out as one of the great Gothic cathedrals of the Great West, all too often overshadowed by its continental counterparts, yet absolutely unique. Built from dark granite quarried locally, it embodies the Gothic style of conquest which, in the wake of the devastation wrought by the Anglo-French war, sought to assert the spiritual and architectural ambitions of medieval Brittany. What makes Saint-Samson truly unique is its deliberately unfinished profile: the north tower, on which work began in 1520, was never crowned, giving the west facade an asymmetrical silhouette that, far from being a weakness, embodies five centuries of history suspended in stone. Opposite, the two-storey south tower dates back to the 15th century, bearing witness to the long labour of the medieval builders who took over and modified the building from generation to generation. The visit is a rare experience. You enter through the great 14th-century south porch, a veritable manifesto of Breton Gothic sculpture, and enter a nave of severe and noble elegance, where the grey stone filters a soft, almost Nordic light. The ambulatory leads to the canted chapel to the east of the choir, a space for contemplation of remarkable formal purity. The chapter house, also dating from the 14th century, is well worth a visit for the quality of its vaults and the sobriety of its decoration. The setting is not to be outdone: Dol-de-Bretagne has one of the most beautiful "Grande-Rue des Stuarts" in Brittany, with its medieval arcaded houses forming a setting worthy of the monument. Beyond the ramparts, the Dol marshes and the distant view of Mont-Saint-Michel are a reminder that for centuries this city was a spiritual crossroads between Brittany, Normandy and England.
Architecture
Saint-Samson's cathedral is part of a style of Gothic known as "Norman-influenced", characterised by a sober three-level elevation - large arcades, triforium and high windows - that evokes the great building sites of Normandy rather than the radiant Gothic of the Île-de-France region. Built from Breton granite, a hard material that is not very conducive to fine sculpture, it compensates for the sobriety of its carved decoration by the rigour of its volumes and the strength of its proportions. The general plan follows the canonical Latin cross model, with a nave flanked by side aisles, a wide projecting transept and a choir with an ambulatory ending in the 14th-century canted chapel. The exterior is immediately striking for the asymmetry of its western façade, where the unfinished north tower contrasts with the higher, capped south tower. The large south porch, a masterpiece of 14th-century Breton Gothic, forms the de facto main entrance: its sculpted gable and voussoirs house an iconographic programme that constitutes one of the rare groups of well-preserved medieval sculptures in the region. To the east, the canted chapel introduces a more refined polygonal plan, which breaks pleasantly with the orthogonal rigour of the rest of the building. The interior features a high, bright nave where the severity of the granite is tempered by the verticality of the cylindrical pillars and the lightness of the ribbed vaults. The slightly raised chancel retains a striking atmosphere of contemplation. Among the cathedral's remarkable furnishings are several recumbent statues and epitaphs of medieval bishops, as well as stained-glass windows, the oldest of which date back to the 13th century, forming one of the rare medieval stained-glass ensembles in Brittany.
Related Figures
Saint Samson de Dol — moine gallois du VIe siècle, évangélisateur et fondateur légendaire de l'évêché doloisNominoë — premier roi de Bretagne (IXe siècle), protecteur de l'évêché de Dol dans sa querelle d'indépendance vis-à-vis de ToursJean Sans Terre — roi d'Angleterre dont les troupes incendièrent Dol en 1203, provoquant la reconstruction de la cathédrale actuelleThomas Le Roy — évêque de Dol au début du XVIe siècle, commanditaire de la tour nord restée inachevéeProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des monuments historiques qui contribua à l'inscription de la cathédrale sur la première liste de 1840
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Samson located?
Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Samson is located in Dol-de-Bretagne, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Samson built?
Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Samson dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Samson open to visitors?
Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Samson is currently closed to visitors.
