Cathédrale Saint-Vincent de Saint-Malo

The Cathédrale Saint-Vincent stands at the heart of Saint-Malo's walled city, intra-muros, and its slender spire rises above the rooftops of the old town. Built from the 12th century onwards, with later additions up to the 18th century, it combines a Romanesque nave with a bright Gothic choir and a classical façade. Saint-Malo lost its bishop after the French Revolution, but the church kept the title of cathedral in everyday use.

The building was badly damaged during the fighting of August 1944, when its spire collapsed, and it was restored over several decades after the war. The restoration brought modern stained-glass windows, notably by the painter Jean Le Moal, which fill the choir and the rose window with intense blues and reds. The cathedral also has strong links with the city's maritime history: it holds the tomb of Jacques Cartier, the Saint-Malo navigator who explored the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and claimed Canada for France, and a memorial to the corsair René Duguay-Trouin.

Entry is free, and the cathedral is an active place of worship, so visitors should respect services. It is easily combined with a walk on the ramparts and through the rebuilt streets of the old town.