Dol-de-Bretagne | |
|---|---|
 La Grande Rue | |
 Flag .svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Dol-de-Bretagne  | |
  Dol-de-Bretagne  Dol-de-Bretagne | |
| Coordinates:48°33′02″N1°44′59″W / 48.5506°N 1.7497°W /48.5506; -1.7497 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Brittany |
| Department | Ille-et-Vilaine |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Malo |
| Canton | Dol-de-Bretagne |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Denis Rapinel[1] |
Area 1 | 15.53 km2 (6.00 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 5,786 |
| • Density | 370/km2 (960/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 35095 /35120 |
| Elevation | 1–58 m (3.3–190.3 ft) (avg. 17 m or 56 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Dol-de-Bretagne (French pronunciation:[dɔldəbʁətaɲ], literallyDol ofBrittany;Breton:Dol;Gallo:Dóu), cited in most historical records under its Breton name ofDol, is acommune in theIlle-et-Vilainedépartement inBrittany in northwesternFrance.
Dol-de-Bretagne is situated in the northern part of the Ille-et-Vilaine department, 6 km from theEnglish Channel coast and 22 km southeast ofSaint-Malo.Dol-de-Bretagne station is served by high speed trains to Rennes and Paris, and regional trains to Saint-Malo, Saint-Brieuc, Granville and Rennes.
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Dol is aBreton term meaning "low and fertile place in the flood plain of a waterway;" cf.Welshdôl ("meadow").[3]
In 549, the WelshSaint Teilo was documented as coming to Dol where he joinedSamson of Dol, and the fruit groves which they planted remain and are known as the groves of Teilo and Samson.[4] Legend has it that while there he was assigned byKing Budic II to subdue a belligerent winged dragon, which he was said to have tamed and then tied to a rock in the sea off Brittany.[4] He is reported to have stayed in Dol for seven years and seven months so must have left in 556 or 557.
Dol-de-Bretagne is reputed to be the origin of the royalHouse of Stewart who became the monarchs of Scotland and later England and Ireland; a plaque in Dol commemorates that origin. The Stewart monarchs descend from Alan theSeneschal of the Bishop of Dol. His son, Flaad Fitzalan and his son Alan, arrived in Britain at the request ofHenry I, King of England. Flaad's grandson,Walter Fitzalan, was appointed the 1st Steward of Scotland byDavid I of Scotland.Malcolm IV of Scotland later confirmed the honour bestowed by David and made the office of Steward of Scotland hereditary in Walter's family. In the fourteenth century,Walter Stewart (so named for his family's hereditary possession of the office ofHigh Steward of Scotland), a descendant of Walter Fitzalan, marriedMarjorie Bruce, daughter ofKing Robert I of Scotland. Their son becameKing Robert II, and their descendants the royal House of Stewart.
Dol figured prominently in the formation and evolution of theDuchy of Brittany.Nominoe, the ruler of Brittany attempted to establish a metropolitan archbishop for the Breton church in a move to give it autonomy, and thereby strengthen his rule and further secure his independence from the Carolingian Empire. It took centuries for Rome to recognize theArchbishop of Dol. However, after the formation of the Duchy of Brittany in 939, the Archbishop of Dol often wielded great political power and was even at one time Regent to a young Duke of Brittany.Dol Cathedral is a significant building in an eclectic mix of styles. The diocese wassuppressed in 1801.
In 1076 the town was unsuccessfully besieged byWilliam the Conqueror following in particular the reinforcement of the king of France at the time, and taken byHenry II of England in 1164.[5]In June 1173Hugh de Kevelioc, 5th Earl of Chester, laidsiege to Dol-de-Bretagne and captured the settlement as part of theRevolt of 1173–1174 against Henry. Henry, supported by an army of 20,000 mercenaries retook Dol-de-Bretagne the same year.[6] The town was again taken byGuy of Thouars in 1204.[5]
Located near the town isCricket Club Des Ormes,[7] which in 2003set a world record for the longest cricket match. The club played for 26 hours and 13 minutes. The record has been beaten a number of times since.
Inhabitants of Dol-de-Bretagne are calledDolois in French.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 4,497 | — |
| 1975 | 4,624 | +0.40% |
| 1982 | 4,660 | +0.11% |
| 1990 | 4,629 | −0.08% |
| 1999 | 4,563 | −0.16% |
| 2007 | 4,807 | +0.65% |
| 2012 | 5,412 | +2.40% |
| 2017 | 5,693 | +1.02% |
| Source: INSEE[8] | ||
Dol is home to a number ofsignificant heritage sites, including a 12th-century house.[9]
Dol is one of the settings for alai byMarie de France; Gurun, lord of Dol, is one of the main characters in"Le Fresne".[10]
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dol".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 385.
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