Saint Peter and Saint Paul Cathedral

You’re now at St. Peter’s Square facing St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral. About the same size as Notre-Dame in Paris, it was also hit by a major fire in 2020. According to popular legend, in the 3rd century, Saint Clair arrived from Rome, carrying a nail he claimed came from the cross on which Saint Peter was crucified. He then built a chapel to house his relic, choosing the current location of the cathedral because the site was originally occupied by a Druidic temple dedicated to Janus. Janus, you might not know him, but he’s the one who gave his name to the month of January! He’s the Roman god of beginnings and endings! He’s always depicted with two faces, one looking to the past and the other to the future. Anyway, tradition aside, we know that a first church was built here in the 4th century, near the Gallo-Roman wall, which eventually became problematic when they wanted to enlarge it. This church, named St. John the Baptist, no longer exists today, but during excavations in 1910, remains of two baptismal pools were found. This church was followed by a first cathedral built in the 6th century, then a Romanesque cathedral erected in the 11th century. The construction of the one you see today began in 1434 and spanned 4 centuries. That’s incredibly long even for that time. In any case, despite the centuries and the influences of each era, it strangely hasn’t been too affected and displays a beautiful coherent Gothic style. It houses above all a masterpiece of the Renaissance, namely the tomb of Francis II and Margaret of Foix, the parents of Anne of Brittany. With a majestic tomb as their eternal bed, the two white Carrara marble effigies of the ducal couple seem peacefully asleep and surprisingly lifelike! The sculpture is an undisputed masterpiece by Michel Colomb. If you have the chance to see it today, it’s because the work was dismantled and hidden during the Revolution. At that time, when the building became public property, a 10-meter high wooden observation tower with telescopes was added to the building, serving as a military observation post. The cathedral was then transformed into a stable and arsenal but retained its grand organ for public celebrations. In 1796, St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral almost disappeared. A certain Mr. Fleury had indeed expressed his desire to buy the church and demolish it, in order to turn the place into a stone quarry. But his project was not accepted. In 1800, a powder magazine exploded in the Spanish tower of the castle of the Dukes of Brittany, causing major damage to the southern part of the cathedral. But that’s not the only tragedy the cathedral would suffer during its existence. Bombings in 1944, followed by a terrible fire in 1972, led to a major restoration of the cathedral in the 20th century. Unfortunately, in 2020, a new fire, this time criminal, destroyed the 17th-century organ, many paintings, and blew up stained glass windows. Restoration work is still ongoing, but the cathedral has been open to visitors again since the beginning of 2024. I’ll let you go explore its interior and admire the incredible ducal tomb before heading to the castle.