A Weekend of Ancient Fortifications

First off, let me start with this:

Please note that the steering wheel is on the left side of the car – as God intended it to be. I, of course, kept trying to get into the drivers seat from the right side. Ugh. This car is also an automatic! I did not ask for one – I’m fine with a stick shift – but this was nice. I tried to put my left foot through the floor several times while looking for my imaginary clutch, though. Every time I turned a corner, I had to repeat to myself “stay right, stay right”. The scene in Hitman’s Bodyguard kept playing in my head : Ryan Reynolds smashing into a car and stating that it is a three day adjustment period every time you switch driving position.

The last time we were here, we skipped Saint Malo. There just wasn’t enough time. So, we figured we had better go there early on! As is the case in this country (Europe in general), this is an old town. Like 1st century old. The Romans founded it and called the town Aletum. It, like most of Brittany (Amorica for the ancient Romans), rebelled against Roman rule in the early stages of the decline of the Roman Empire. A monastic settlement was established there in the early 6th century, dedicated to a follower of Saint Brendan, Saint Malo. The city eventually became very prosperous and heavily fortified. During World War II, the German Army was firmly entrenched in the city and, in order to retake it, the American and British armies heavily shelled the city – pretty much destroying it.

The residents of Saint Malo painstakingly rebuilt the city, striving to replicate the original as much as possible. They did an amazing job!

The cathedral was beautifully restored, with a surprising amount of the old still present. This, of course, is important to me. It was also very educational! As an American, my knowledge of Canadian history is spotty. I knew a French dude must have been involved in finding/naming/establishing European settlement there – the province of Quebec doesn’t speak French for no reason. But I didn’t know much about it. There was this guy by the name of Jacques Cartier and, in May of 1534, he sailed up the St Lawrence River. He is the one who named Canada. I suspect that he wasn’t any better than Christopher Columbus in his treatment of the native population, but he was a product of his time (sadly, all too true). Anyway, he was from Saint Malo! He is buried in the St. Vincent Cathedral. Also buried there is Jean de Chatillon, the first bishop of Saint Malo in the 12th century.

Something very different caught my eye as we were walking through the cathedral. In a little alcove is a glass coffin. The only marking on the coffin is a little name place that says Saint Celestin. It took a bit of looking to find that Saint Celestin was a 2nd (2ND!!!) century martyr. But that was all I could find out, no idea if the amazing condition of the body is due to wax covering or anything like that. The body is dressed in clothing that I would guess is changed out every century or so-

We stopped for lunch while in Saint Malo at a lovely restaurant called Les Terroiristes Associés . Outstanding chocolate mousse too 🙄

Just south of Saint Malo is the little village of Saint Suliac. Our friend, Samuel, had recommended that we stop there and we are so glad we did! Tiny little place with quite the history. The main focal point in the village, as it is in many French villages, is the church. This area has had a settlement since the Roman times but little of that period still exists. There is the remains of a Viking encampment, but it is only visible when the tide is out. We weren’t that lucky. But we did get to see the beautiful village church. The Husband ranks it in his top 5 favorites and I have to agree. It has some seriously old bits (8/9th century), but it wasn’t just that. It just had a good…vibe. Good juju. Whatever. It felt like a good place.

I had intended to make this one post for the whole weekend, but I am realizing how long this one already is! Don’t want anyone falling asleep. If anyone is reading this thing still…I did warn that I was going to write about more old churches than any one else would care to read about…Anyway, I will get to work on part 2. Hopefully, I can get that done right away as there is lots to talk about for this week and the upcoming weekend! Mont St. Michel!!!!