What can I say, the town of Dol in Brittany has earned a reputation as a bit of a boring place. True, if you walk through the streets of the old town, you’ll come across a sign telling you that Victor Hugo (1802-1885) spent one night in Dol with his mistress Juliette Drouet (1806-1883) and nearly died of boredom (he wrote that it wasn’t really a town, just a single street). Add to that the fact that François-René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848), the famous French writer, did study in the town, but the next time he bothered to visit was during his own funeral procession.
In short, with that kind of publicity, it’s no surprise that Dol and its surroundings have slipped off the radar of travelers to Brittany. There’s a beautiful cathedral here, an impressive menhir, and a stunning view not far away at all. Or as the poet said, “there’s still something to it”…
The Cathedral of Dol
There’s no doubt that the first thing you’ll see when you arrive in Dol is its cathedral, and rightly so. It’s an impressive structure, one of a kind. Saint Samson traveled all the way from distant Wales to Dol in the 6th century (there’s a town named after him in Guernsey). Legend has it that he managed to cure the count who ruled the area, along with his wife and daughter, of leprosy, and as a result they agreed to convert to Christianity. It seems it was Saint Samson who founded the first church in Dol, and he also became Dol’s first bishop.
During the 13th century, King John of England (r. 1199-1216) burned down the cathedral that stood there, and the current cathedral was built in its place. When you stand in front of it, you’ll immediately notice something interesting: it has two towers, but only one of them is complete. Legend has it that the cathedral was built with two towers, but a few years later the devil came to Brittany and faced off against the Archangel Michael, known here as Saint Michel.
The battle between the two took place at Mont Dol, which we’ll talk about later, and during it, the devil picked up a giant menhir and threw it at Saint Michel. Luckily for him, Saint Michel managed to dodge the flying menhir, which struck the church’s bell tower instead. Then again, there’s another version that says the tower was simply never finished because the money ran out. I’ll leave it to you to decide which version to believe.
Before you go inside the cathedral, take a look at the somewhat primitive statue standing in front of it. This is a statue of Nominoë (800-851, Nominoë), the first duke of Brittany, considered the father of the Breton nation, who was crowned king of Brittany here in 850. Nominoë was appointed duke of Brittany by King Louis the Pious in 831, but through the 840s and 850s he never stopped rebelling against the king of France. With his death in 851, a duchy (and even a short-lived kingdom) of Brittany was created, and to this day Nominoë remains a symbol for supporters of Breton independence.
Once you step inside the church, you’ll discover how beautiful it is. There are ancient stained-glass windows here (some dating to the 15th century), sculptures depicting the life of Jesus above the west portal, and even the bishop’s chair (from the 16th century). You’ll also find quite a few interesting tombs here, most belonging to bishops of Dol. The most famous one belongs to Thomas James, who was bishop of Dol between 1482 and 1504. This tomb, created by an Italian artist, is considered the first Renaissance work of art in Brittany, and it’s well worth a visit.
The Old Town and the Market
After visiting the cathedral, you can head over to the old town right next to it. There you’ll find plenty of old timber-framed houses from the 13th through the 18th centuries, including the house where Victor Hugo lived. As you wander down Grand Rue des Stuarts, you’ll discover not only beautiful old houses but also the fact that this is where the dynasty that would rule England between 1603 and 1714 got its start. It turns out that the family’s founding ancestor, Walter FitzAlan, whose great-grandfather fought alongside William the Conqueror in 1066, was of Breton descent. His descendants later moved to Scotland, where the king of Scotland gave them the title of Steward (a kind of treasury minister), and once the title became hereditary, they adopted it as a family name.
Beyond the old streets, there’s also a market that functions as a food market every Tuesday afternoon, and as a workshop for various artisans the rest of the time. If you’ve made it this far, I definitely recommend stopping by and also checking out the statue of the young Chateaubriand in front of the market.
The Menhir of Dol
Remember the famous menhir that, according to legend, the devil threw at Saint Michel? It’s still here, not far from the town itself (drive 2 km south and look for Menhir du Champ-Dolent). The devil must have really had some strength back then, because a friend of mine tried to move it and had no luck at all.
The menhir stands over 9 meters tall and weighs about 100 tons, right in the middle of a field, and it’s considered the tallest menhir in Brittany. Beyond the legend that it landed here as a result of the fight between the devil and Saint Michel, there’s another legend saying the menhir landed exactly between two men who were arguing over who owned the field, and made peace between them. And one last legend for today: some claim the menhir is slowly sinking into the ground, and when it finally sinks completely, the world will end. In short, feel free to pick whichever legend you like best. My friend was really excited about this menhir, while in my opinion, all these neolithic structures are nothing more than a pile of rocks 🙂
Mont Dol
And finally we come to Mont Dol, a hill about 65 meters above sea level, located about a quarter of an hour’s drive from Dol itself. This is where, as mentioned, the battle between the devil and Saint Michel took place, and speaking of Saint Michel, you can see the famous abbey named after him from the Notre-Dame tower at the top of the hill.
Beyond the lovely view of the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel, you’ll also find a Gothic church nearby, as well as two windmills, one of which is sometimes open to visitors. And if you’d like one more legend about the place, here it is. In his book Gargantua and Pantagruel, Rabelais writes that the giant Gargantua was walking not far from the Bay of Mont Saint-Michel when he felt gravel get into his shoe. He took off his shoe and found two stones inside, which he threw away. One became Mont Dol, and the other became Mont Saint-Michel.
So what did we have here? A magnificent cathedral, the tallest menhir in Brittany, and a stunning view of the sea. There’s a lot to say about Dol, but boring it is not.
Want to stay in Dol?
Dol isn’t a bad base at all for day trips around northern Brittany. From here you can reach Mont-Saint-Michel, Dinan, Cancale, Saint-Malo, and more. So if you’ve decided you want to stay there, feel free to find vacation apartments and hotels through this link.
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