Saint-Malo Cathedral, Saint-Malo, France

Saint-Malo Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Vincent-de-Saragosse de Saint-Malo) is a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Vincent of Saragossa. It was formerly the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Malo. The cathedral was built in 1146 when Jean de Châtillon, Bishop of Aleth, transferred his bishopric to the growing town of Saint-Malo on a more secure site across the river. The Benedictine monastery of Saint Malo, founded in 1108, became the home of the bishopric and its church the new cathedral, replacing Aleth Cathedral.

Saint-Malo Cathedral has undergone several transformations so you will see Romanesque, Gothic, High Gothic and Renaissance styles. However, in 1944 during a battle for the city the cathedral was bombed and the choir section collapsed. It took over 20 years to make the repairs.

References:

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User Reviews

Shaunas Adventures (10 months ago)
Love the sound of the bells that ring from here that vibrate through the city. It is quite the extraordinary experience if you manage to be inside the cathedral when the bells start to ring. Amazing!

Matthias H (12 months ago)
Beautiful cathedral, nice windows and silent

Bart Van den Bosch (13 months ago)
Not too great as cathedrals go but the (modern) glass windows are quite nice.

Jane White (14 months ago)
Rainy day, got very wet. The rain pouring from the roof was awesome.

Dave O'Brien (14 months ago)
Nice cathedral.. it has been extensively rebuilt like a lot of StMalo but still retains atmosphere and a sense of age

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Het Steen is a medieval fortress in the old city centre of Antwerp. Built after the Viking incursions in the early Middle Ages as the first stone fortress of Antwerp, Het Steen is Antwerp's oldest building and used to be its oldest urban centre.

Previously known as Antwerpen Burcht (fortress), Het Steen gained its current name in around 1520, after significant rebuilding under Charles V. The fortress made it possible to control the access to the Scheldt, the river on whose bank it stands. It was used as a prison between 1303 and 1827. The largest part of the fortress, including dozens of historic houses and the oldest church of the city, was demolished in the 19th century when the quays were straightened to stop the silting up of the Scheldt. The remaining building, heavily changed, contains a shipping museum, with some old canal barges displayed on the quay outside.

In 1890 Het Steen became the museum of archeology and in 1952 an annex was added to house the museum of Antwerp maritime history, which in 2011 moved to the nearby Museum Aan de Stroom. Here you’ll also find a war memorial to the Canadian soldiers in WWII.

There are some beautiful plaques on the back side of the Steen Castle at Antwerp. Canadian visitors will especially want to see the plaques thanking the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry for their part in the liberation of Antwerp, in 1944.

At the entrance to Het Steen is a bas-relief of Semini, above the archway, around 2nd century. Semini is the Scandinavian God of youth and fertility (with symbolic phallus). A historical plaque near Het Steen explains that women of the town appealed to Semini when they desired children; the god was reviled by later religious clergy. Inhabitants of Antwerp previously referred to themselves as 'children of Semini'.

At the entrance bridge to the castle is a statue of a giant and two humans. It depicts the giant Lange Wapper who used to terrorise the inhabitants of the city in medieval times.

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