And here I am again trying to get used to this new wordpress editor which is to be dump! I am back from Saint Malo one of my favorite cities in my lovely Bretagne. They are of course in Ille et Vilaine dept 35. We have been here before but this is new text and new photos. Hope you enjoy it.
We come by the Porte Saint Vincent one of the gates to the intra muros or enclosed city and we love it. Even coming by car and going around the roundabout is wonderful to see it. Let me tell you a bit on it ok
The Porte Saint-Thomas, the first of the name, because there will be two others. It opens between two towers, the old dungeon, and the square tower; A second Porte Saint-Thomas is opened in the northern rampart, in front of the tower Quic-en-Groigne, allowing to leave the city. The second gate St. Thomas is destroyed with the old rampart and rebuilt in the new between 1737 and 1742. It is the third gate St. Thomas, which overlooks the cale and the Evantail beach it still retains the old elements of the counterweight of its door. The Grand Porte ( big door), also called: the Sea Gate, because originally, the boats came to moor there. It consists of two towers with a firing platform with machicolations to quadruple heights. It’s the oldest door.
The Grand’Porte is, along with the Porte Saint-Thomas, the oldest in Saint-Malo. For several centuries, it was the main entrance to the port. In 1552, two towers on each side came to strengthen it. Above the entrance, you can admire Notre-Dame de la Grand’Porte, a statue of the Virgin and Child.
Probably dating from the 15C, sailors have found this marble statue floating in the water. Also nicknamed “Our Lady of Miracles”, legend has it that in 1661, she stood up to the flames that were ravaging the city and stopped the fire. During the French revolution, the statue will be beheaded. Currently, it is a copy that adorns the Grand’Porte de Saint-Malo. The original, meanwhile, was installed in the Cathedral of Saint-Malo after a recent restoration.
By taking the rue Jacques Cartier, famous for its many restaurants, you arrive in front of the Porte Saint-Vincent, the second stop on our walk. It was in 1709 that the Saint-Vincent district was built out of the rock. The door, built in the same period, takes the name of the deacon martyred in Spain in the 6C.
Very quickly, this gate becomes the main entrance to the Intra-Muros and will be split in 1890. If you are curious, leave the old town and look up. Two shields appear on the front of the door: on the left, a portcullis surmounted by the ermine of the Dukes of Brittany which represents the coat of arms of the city and on the right the ermines surmounted by a crown symbolizing the Duchy of Brittany.
Upon re-entering the interior of the Intra-Muros, you will face Rue Saint-Vincent, the main artery of the old town. Head on your right towards the Hôtel Châteaubriand. On your right, you can see the entrance to the Château de Saint-Malo, built in 1424 by the Dukes of Brittany. It now houses the Town Hall of Saint-Malo as well as the City Museum (in renovation opens in 2022).
After leaving the Hôtel Châteaubriand on your left, you will arrive at the foot of the Porte Saint-Thomas, built in 1737. Although it now gives access to the Plage de l’Eventail and the Fort National, it was previously called the porte de Sillon because it opened directly onto the strip of sand connecting Saint-Malo to the land. During the tides, the rising waters, the local Malouins were entrenched within the city.
The tourist office of Saint Malo on the ramparts: https://www.saint-malo-tourisme.co.uk/explore/a-box-of-delights/the-ramparts-of-saint-malo
And there you go hope you enjoy the ride with beautiful views of the city, the sea and the ramparts of Saint Malo. Awesome!! A nice youtube video to set the tone me think
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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