Saint-Malo Live Cam

As vast as the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, the citadel is surrounded by 1,754-meter-long ramparts.

Unlike the inner city, which was 80% destroyed, the ramparts were not damaged by the Allied bombings of 1944. The original enclosure was built in the 12th century. These ramparts surrounded only 16 hectares of the city until the 16th century.

Between 1708 and 1742, Siméon Garangeau, the king’s architect and engineer, led the fortification expansion program designed by Vauban. The city covered 24 hectares. A distinctive feature of the Saint-Malo ramparts is that they are built on the rock that supports the city and are held in place only by the weight of the stacked stones.

From the Saint-Vincent Gate, the main entrance to the city walls, to the Saint-Thomas Gate, the ramparts extend 1,754 meters. The ramparts of Saint-Malo have been listed as a Historic Monument since 1921.

Originally, ships moored here to transport goods from the South Seas, China, and Arabia to the warehouses of the privateer shipowners’ mansions.

The Grand’ Porte consists of two towers and a firing platform supported by quadruple-stepped machicolations (a characteristic of the second half of the 15th century).

Fort National: The Islet Rock, on which the Fort National stands, served as a landmark for ships in the Middle Ages. In 1689, Louis XIV decided to make the rock a defensive bastion against English attacks. Vauban drew up the plans for the fort, and the engineer Siméon Garangeau executed them. The fort was called Fort Républicain during the Revolution, Fort Impérial under Napoleon I, Fort Royale during the Restoration, Fort Impérial again from 1852 to 1870, and Fort National since then. The fort has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1906.

Fort de La Conchée: According to Vauban’s defense plan for Saint-Malo, Garangeau built this rounded, ship-like fort (1692–1695) on a rock covered by the sea. Located 4 km north of Saint-Malo, it is considered one of Vauban’s masterpieces. “There will be nothing better made, nor stronger than the vaults of La Conchée.”

Grand Bé Island: A rocky mound 400 meters from the city, accessible at low tide. The word “Bey” means tomb in Celtic. It was home to the first commune of Saint-Malo when, in 1308, the people of Saint-Malo, revolting against their bishop, gathered there to elect a mayor. Around 1360, hermits built a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Laurel, then to Saint Ouen. A redoubt was built in 1555, then replaced by other fortifications in 1652. Chateaubriand was buried at Grand Bey on July 18, 1848. Twenty years before his death, the writer had expressed his desire to be buried on this plot of land, facing the open sea, to continue his conversation with the sea.

Fort du Petit Bé: At the end of the 19th century, the forts were decommissioned. The island of Cézembre, off the coast of Saint-Malo Bay, was sufficient to defend the city. The fort was put up for sale, but the people of Saint-Malo refused to pay for what was naturally theirs. Negotiations lasted four years, until President Félix Faure issued a decree in 1885 declaring it to be of public utility to establish a “hygienic” promenade for the people of Saint-Malo along the Grand Bé and Petit Bé. The fort thus became the property of the town. It was listed as a Historic Monument in 1921, along with the ramparts. For several years, an enthusiast holding a long-term lease has been restoring Petit Bé to restore this ancient fort to the authenticity it possessed when construction began in 1689. It was completed in 1707, the year of Vauban’s death.