The encounter of the British feather with Breton stones.
The Welsh writer Ken Follett will be the guest of honor on Sunday at the Saint-Samson festival in Dol-de-Bretagne.
This will be the first excursion by the author of The
Pillars of the Earth
to the town of Ille-et-Vilaine, which he supported last year, to the tune of 148,000 euros, in his project to restore its cathedral.
"Ken Follett will open the first parade in a convertible on horseback, accompanied by the mayor Denis Rapinel, and other personalities"
, announced Tuesday to
Ouest France
the president of the festival committee, Loïc Pedron.
The folkloric event, interrupted for two years due to the Covid-19, will begin with a mass then will be divided into several parades of the more than 300 musicians and dancers in traditional costumes expected on Sunday.
Read alsoThe writer Ken Follett offers 148,000 euros to restore the cathedral of Dol-de-Bretagne
“Cathedrals link us to our history”
Cantor of Gothic cathedrals whose beauty he had praised in his series of novels
The Pillars of the Earth
, Ken Follett has multiplied since the fire of Notre-Dame de Paris, declarations honoring this often poorly maintained historical medieval heritage.
"Our cathedrals connect us with the past, they link us to our history, they create our sense of identity,"
he told
Le Figaro
in April 2019.
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In the case of Saint-Samson Cathedral in Dol-de-Bretagne, work on the upper parts of the building began three years ago.
With a total cost estimated at 2.5 million euros, the restoration of the church aims to consolidate the framework and roofing of the cathedral, to protect several stained glass windows from the 13th century, the oldest in Brittany, or to reinforce the building's granite balustrades.
St. Samson's Cathedral
"is special because it was built entirely in a consistent style
," Ken Follett had said in the past.
His donation was donated to the municipality of Dol-de-Bretagne through the Heritage Foundation, which supports work on Saint-Samson Cathedral.
The British author has never made the trip to the Breton monument, in particular because of the pandemic which has been raging in Europe for two years.
The Saint-Samson restoration project should continue until 2024.
