Amazing History

The sun was making a bid for sovreignty before the clouds won out this morning. No matter, I was determined to squeeze every last moment out of my time here in Dinan. Sarah had been in town several weeks ago and told me about the church bells ringing in the morning. I hadn't heard them, so out I went to do just that. The chimes started at 10:00 a.m., while I was climbing Rue de Jerzual, I wanted to be closer to the church to hear the bells reverberate off of the stone buildings so I hastened my gait. I was needlessly concerned. The bells continued from Saint Saviour's for a full ten minutes, and then following that, right on cue, the bells began emanating from Saint Malo Church. Between both the churches, the bells rang for almost thirty minutes. The only other sound was made by the cars rumbling over the cobblestone streets. I was enthralled. Because of all the stone buildings the sound bounced back and forth. It was a moment in time that I won't soon forget. 

The other day I went to Saint Saviour's Church. I wrote about going to what I thought was Saint Saviour's earlier in my postings only to discover that I had the wrong church! I was actually in Saint Malo Church. I have since corrected my post. Anyway, this is not a new reflection from anyone, but I am in awe of the history present all over Europe. The history of Saint Savior's Church is a fascinating one. In 1112, a young knight from Dinan set off for the Crusades. In the midst of battle, he made a vow that if he should ever see Dinan again, he would pay for the building of a church to be named Saint Saviour's. He did return and he made good on his vow with a commission for the sanctuary. Additions and changes have been made over the years and when the church was made a Basilica, gorgeous stained glass windows were installed. 

I include an image of the church during the day. The exterior arches that make up the entrance to the church date back to 1120. I went out last night to take pictures of the town in the evening and snapped this shot of one of the arches. ​