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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Doles guard corps, located in Cancale on Daules Point, is an example of Vauban's military architecture. Built in 1740, it is one of the defensive devices erected between the 17th and 18th centuries to counter English landings against Saint Malo. This last guard of this type in Ille-et-Vilaine offered shelter for soldiers and a strategic surveillance post.

The building consists of a crib vaulted bedroom and a square guettoir accessible by an external staircase. Located between the beaches of the Verger and the Petit Port, it dominates the Emerald coast. Its location on a promontory makes it a unique site in the region, both by its architecture and its historical role.

Ranked a historic monument on May 3, 1955, the guard corps was restored in 2012. It illustrates Cancale's strategic importance during the Franco-English conflicts, where coastal defence was crucial to protect Saint-Malo. Its state of conservation and its setting make it today a remarkable heritage of Brittany.

Owned by the State, this monument bears witness to modern military construction techniques. Its recent classification and restoration underline its historical and architectural value, while offering a tangible testimony to the geopolitical tensions that have marked the region.

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