St Malo Episcopal city
The fortified city of St Malo, today on the Côte d’Emeraude, once defended the eastern bank of the Rance estuary, while the fort of Dinard commanded the western bank.
In the 1st century, the Romans established a garrison fort at Aleth, now the Saint-Servan district. This site, known as Reginca, gave its name to the Rance River.
In the 5th century, raids by the Franks and Saracens forced the inhabitants to retreat to a rocky peninsula connected to the mainland by a sandbar called the Sillon, and thus easier to defend.
In the 6th century, a Welsh preacher named MacLow, also known as Maclou, Maclovius, or Malo, landed on the shores of Aleth. Saint Malo became Bishop of Aleth, one of the seven bishoprics of Brittany. In the 12th century, the episcopal seat and the relics of Saint Malo were transferred from Aleth to the fortified peninsula. This transfer included all the previously granted property, rights, and privileges, making the Saint-Malo peninsula a haven of peace and a free city exempt from customs duties.
St Malo, the City of Privateers
Due to its geographical location, at the boundary of Brittany and Normandy and near the Channel Islands, St Malo was a highly prized maritime city.
Thus, in the 9th century, shipowners took measures to protect their cargoes from Viking raids and armed their vessels. This defensive strategy led to private naval battles and reprisals even in peacetime. These conflicts, known as “privateering,” or race war, saw heavily armed French ships attack rival and foreign vessels to seize their goods.
To regulate these actions, the Admiralty of Saint-Malo designated allied and enemy nations and imposed truces. During the Hundred Years’ War, the English fleet stationed in the nearby Channel Islands attempted to subdue Saint-Malo. However, its efforts not only failed to end privateering but also provided Saint-Malo’s shipowners with a pretext to intensify their activities.
This period marked the emergence of the tradition of the Malouin privateers, and Saint-Malo acquired a reputation for its experienced sailors and daring privateering expeditions.
The Privateers Era
St Malo enjoyed a period of prosperity under the patronage of the French kings until the 18th century. At the end of the 17th century, Marshal Vauban persuaded Louis XIV that Saint-Malo offered a prime opportunity to fight the English and Dutch at sea.
To formalise this enterprise, rules were established regarding the division of the spoils: one-fifth for the king, one-tenth for the Admiral of France, two-thirds for the shipowner, and the remainder for the crew. Thanks to this agreement, Saint-Malo shipowners were accredited by the French Admiralty and received letters patent authorising them to capture enemy vessels.
However, privateering encountered difficulties in the mid-17th century when the English Channel came under British control. English ships were stationed on the southern coasts of England and in the Channel Islands, posing a significant obstacle to privateering activities.
The era of privateering officially ended on April 16, 1856, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, a collateral agreement that redefined maritime law.
The distinction between pirates and privateers lies in their official affiliations. Privateers operated under the banner of the King of France, while pirates were lawless plunderers who seized ships for their own gain.
The inhabitants of St Malo proudly proclaim that no pirate has ever set sail from their city!
St Malo, part of the Duchy of Brittany
In the 13th century, St Malo was part of the powerful Duchy of Brittany, which maintained an alliance with the King of France, though it was not a vassal state.
However, during the War of Succession of Brittany in 1395, the Pope ceded Saint-Malo to the King of France.
Duke John V of Brittany quickly reconquered the city, and Saint-Malo’s political affiliations continued to evolve.
In 1493, the city was officially annexed to the French Crown, just two years after the marriage of Duchess Anne de Bretagne to King Charles VIII.
Although Anne fiercely defended the autonomy of her duchy, Brittany, including Saint-Malo, was definitively integrated into the Kingdom of France in 1532.
The Republic of St Malo
The inhabitants of St Malo have always been very attached to their independence and their Catholic heritage.
Therefore, when the Protestant Henry IV ascended the French throne in 1590, they rebelled against his rule.
They took refuge in the Château Gaillard, where they proclaimed the Republic of Saint-Malo, thus asserting their autonomy from the French Crown.
It was at this time that the city’s famous motto was born: “Ni Français, ni Breton, Malouin suis” – “Neither French nor Breton, Malouin I am.”
St Malo finally reunited with the Kingdom of France three years later, when Henry IV converted to Catholicism.
From St Malo to Newfounland
The great expeditions of the 15th century ushered in an era of discovery and exploration, fostering the development of maritime activities.
Thus, in 1497, commissioned by the King of England, John Cabot discovered the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, a series of shallow underwater plateaus teeming with cod and renowned as one of the world’s most important fishing grounds.
Sailors from St Malo took advantage of these discoveries and ventured into the waters of Newfoundland at the beginning of the 16th century. They embarked on fishing expeditions that lasted several months, and many of them eventually settled on the nearby islands of Saint-Pierre et Miquelon Islands.
Their expeditions then led them to venture further south. Thus, in 1764, the explorer Bougainville visited the Falkland Islands (Iles Malouines), an archipelago initially discovered by John Davis in 1592.
St Malo’s Great explorers
Great sailors, born and raised in St Malo, have become true legends.
Jacques Cartier (1491-1557): Commissioned by King Francis I, Cartier left Saint-Malo in 1534 and explored the northern coasts of North America, thus discovering Canada.
Duguay-Trouin (1673-1736): This privateer of the king led a famous expedition in 1711, seizing the bay and port of Rio de Janeiro with nearly 300 merchant ships and several warships. Louis XIV rewarded him by appointing him lieutenant general of the French naval forces. His ashes were returned to the Church of Saint Vincent in 1973 to commemorate the bicentenary of his baptism
Surcouf (1773-1827): Born into a family of shipowners, Surcouf began his maritime career at the age of 13 and became a sea captain at 21. Nicknamed the Tigre des Mers (Tiger of the Seas), he led a brilliant career as a privateer, capturing 47 ships. His legendary exploit was the capture of the Kent in 1800, where his crew of 130 men neutralised the formidable English warship, armed with 38 cannons and manned by a crew of 400. Surcouf then retired from the merchant navy and spent his later years ashore.
St Malo walled city
St Malo has long been surrounded by imposing ramparts. The original walls boasted numerous defensive towers and two main gates: the Porte Saint-Thomas, facing the Sillon, and the Grand’ Porte, opening onto the port.
Marshal Vauban undertook the construction of the current ramparts between 1700 and 1737 to strengthen the city’s defences. Château Gaillard, initially built in the 13th century and later modified by Vauban, stands within the ramparts. Its 15th-century keep now houses the Musée d’Histoire de la Ville et d’Ethnographie du Pays Malouin (city’s history and ethnography museum), and it is defended by the Tour Quic-en-Groigne at the level of the terrace.
The former 17th-century barracks have been converted into the town hall.
The 1,900-metres-long current ramparts are listed as historical monuments. They are pierced by eight gates: Saint-Vincent, Saint-Thomas, Champs-Vauverts, Bés, Saint-Pierre, Dinan, Saint-Louis, and the Grand’ Porte.
They also include three posterns: Poterne d’Estrées, Poterne Normande, and Poterne Jean de Châtillon. The latter was inaugurated in 1960. Three bastions, Saint-Louis, Saint-Philippe, and Hollande, command the western corners and offer an unobstructed view of the port and the sea.
St Malo city
Narrow, orderly streets crisscross the city centre in a grid pattern, while an imposing row of townhouses follows the line of the ramparts. These buildings, with their tall windows, uniform roofs and facades, exude a refined and understated architectural harmony. Saint Vincent Cathedral, for its part, houses a collection of exceptional stained-glass windows, the work of renowned master glassmakers Jean le Moal and Max Ingrand.
The section of ramparts extending from the Bastion Saint-Philippe to the Tour Bidouane offers breathtaking panoramic views of the sea, the coastline, and the surrounding islands.
St Malo – Islets and Forts
The coastal scenery also features a scattering of islets.
In 1689, Vauban had two forts built on the nearest islets to monitor the Rance estuary and the open sea. Initially called Fort Royal, then Fort National, located to the east, near the castle, thus commanded the sea and the coastal towns.
Vauban’s fortifications also extended to the island of Grand Bé, an islet in the open sea.
Accessible only at low tide, it is often reached by wading through the shallow water.
It was there that the writer François-René de Chateaubriand, born in Saint-Malo in 1768, chose to be buried in 1848.
The modest tombstone of his solitary grave bears the following epitaph:
Un grand écrivain Français a voulu reposer ici,
Pour n’entendre que la mer et le vent.
Passant, respecte sa dernière volonté”
” A great French writer wanted to rest here,
to listen only to the sea and wind.
Passerby, respect his last wish”
The reconstruction of St Malo after WWII
The Germans incorporated the citadel into their Atlantic Wall, the formidable defensive system they deployed along the Normandy coast, Belgium and beyond during World War II.
The Americans captured St Malo during Operation Cobra. The citadel was mostly reduced to ruins, but Vauban’s sturdy ramparts held firm!
From 1948 to 1960, St Malo was rebuilt exactly as it was before the war. The completion of the Saint-Vincent Cathedral’s bell tower in 1972 marked the culmination of this long restoration.
True to its maritime heritage, Saint-Malo has become a vibrant centre with a thriving marina, thanks to the development of a vast harbour complex comprised of interconnected lakes and locks.
Today, it is a leading tourist destination for its ancient citadel, fine sandy beaches, and lively seaside atmosphere. The Sillon beach is renowned as one of the most beautiful beaches in Brittany. Finally, St Malo is a major ferry terminal providing service between France and the ports of Poole, Portsmouth, and Weymouth on the south coast of England, as well as the Channel Islands.
Department of Ille-et-Vilaine
Coordinates: Lat 48.649337 – Long -2.025674
