Dol-de-Bretagne Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Samson de Dol) is a Roman Catholic church located in Dol-de-Bretagne. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Samson, one of the founding saints of Brittany. It was formerly the seat of the Archbishop of Dol, one of the nine ancient bishoprics of Brittany. The cathedral suffered badly from the excesses of the French Revolution, becoming successively a "Temple de la Raison", then a stable, then a warehouse. Revolutionaries caused considerable damage and many treasures were lost. When it eventually returned to being a house of worship, its role as a bishopric was abolished by the Concordat of 1801 when the Dol diocese was merged into the Dioceses of Rennes and Saint-Malo. The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801 in Paris, which sought national reconciliation between revolutionaries and Catholics. The Concordat was abrogated by the law of 1905 on the separation of church and state.[1]
The building is notable for its eclectic mix of styles and idiosyncrasies, such as the incomplete north tower on the main west-facing entrance. The tower was begun in 1520 but never finished due to lack of funds. A local myth has it that the top was knocked off by the devil, who threw the nearby Dol-de-Bretagne menhir at the building.
The seat of the ancient bishopric of Dol, the Saint-Samson cathedral dates to the 13th century and is primarily Gothic in style with both Norman and English influences. It was built on the site of an old church where Nominoë was crowned as the first king of Brittany in 850. This old church was replaced by a Romanesque style cathedral which was in turn destroyed in 1203 by the soldiers of Jean sans Terre and little is left of that building today. From Saint Samson in the 6th century to Monseigneur de Hercé, shot at Vannes in 1795, more than 80 bishops have occupied the bishopric of Dol. Since 1880 the Archbishop of Rennes is the Archbishop of Rennes, Dol and Saint-Malo. The cathedral has retained little of the old furnishings as in 1742 the cathedral chapter decided to get rid of all the old bishop's tombs and relaid the choir paving and in 1793 the rood screen which had separated the choir from the nave was demolished and was replaced by an iron grill on the orders of the zealots of the revolution.[1]
Samson was born in Wales at the end of the 5th century. He became a monk and was the superior of a monastery in Caldey. He moved to Ireland and in around 548 made the journey to Armorica with several colleagues and founded a monastery there. Later, with the support of the Breton king Judicael, he played a key role in the foundation of the city of Dol and its bishopric. He died in 565 in Dol having nominated Magloire as his successor and his tomb was to become the destination of numerous pilgrims and is included in the Breton Tro Breizh. One of the stained glass window frames in the cathedral depicts Samson sailing for Armorica ("Saint Samson fait voile vers l'Armorique").[1]
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Dol-de-Bretagne Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Samson de Dol) is a Roman Catholic church located in Dol-de-Bretagne. The cathedral is dedicated to...
Catholic diocese of Dol existed from 848 to the French Revolution. It was suppressed by the Concordat of 1801. Its see was DolCathedral. Its scattered territory...
his surrender, left the scene via the adjoining regions of Brittany, where Dol is situated. This is a likely explanation for the Bretons in the military...
list of gothic cathedrals in Europe that are active Christian cathedrals (the seats of bishops), but also includes former cathedrals and churches built...
(who entrusted the administration of the duchy to Wicohen, Archbishop of Dol, and the Count of Rennes Juhel Berengar as administrators), and his stepfather...
England on his succession. He was grandson of the Seneschal of the Bishop of Dol. The FitzAlan family shared a common patrilineal ancestry with the House...
Dinan. Major churches include Saint-Pol-de-Léon Cathedral, Tréguier Cathedral, DolCathedral, Nantes Cathedral and the Kreisker chapel. Most of the Breton...
of cathedrals in France and in the French overseas departments, territories and collectivities, including both actual and former diocesan cathedrals (seats...
monument historique since 1906. The cathedral, dedicated to Saint Peter, is the seat of the Archbishop of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo, previously Bishop...
Samson of Dol (also Samsun; born c. late 5th century) was a Welsh saint, who is also counted among the seven founder saints of Brittany with Pol Aurelian...
1203–16th century Also known as the Cathedral of St Samson of Dol and as Dol-en-Bretagne Cathedral. Évreux Cathedral Évreux Religious 11th–19th centuries...
illuminated manuscript produced around 1483 for Thomas James, Bishop of Dol in Brittany. It represents the text of a missal for use in Rome and was commissioned...
century church Mérimée Ille-et-Vilaine DolCathedralDol-de-Bretagne 13th – 14th century abandoned cathedral Mérimée Ille-et-Vilaine Dolmen de la Roche-aux-Fées...
Aleth Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Pierre d'Aleth) was a Roman Catholic church located in Saint-Servan in Saint-Malo, Brittany, France. It was...
Dol-de-Bretagne[citation needed] Cathedral of Saint-Samson de Dol-de-Bretagne (13th–15th-century).[citation needed] Church and windmill of Mont-Dol.[citation...
reported to have received the confession King Geraint and joined Samson of Dol at Dol: to this day the fruit groves they planted are known as the groves of...
east end found no favour in France, with Laon, Poitiers, and Dol being the only cathedral examples. Of the triapsal arrangement, which has apses in the...
mentions of other wall-hangings in Normandy and France. A poem by Baldric of Dol might even describe the Bayeux Tapestry itself. The Bayeux Tapestry was therefore...
Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo, having previously been suffragan to the Archdiocese of Tours. Its see is Nantes Cathedral in the city of Nantes...