The Corsair Houses

Here you can admire a remarkable row of Corsair houses, all rebuilt identically after the great bombing of 1944. The stone used to rebuild Saint-Malo came from the same quarry as the stone used for Mont-Saint-Michel. It has tiny golden flecks that give this granite city its subtle sparkle—very far indeed from the kind of granite one associates with gravestones. These grand houses belonged to the shipowners you’ve heard so much about since arriving: the famous privateers. They were a bit like pirates, except they acted with the king’s approval—so apparently that made it perfectly acceptable—and only in times of war, which at that period was almost all the time, given the endless wars with England. They attacked and plundered enemy ships, contributing enormously to the city’s wealth. Saint-Malo was a genuine nest of corsairs. More than 900 armed ships were counted between 1688 and 1713. The famous Robert Surcouf lived in one of these houses, just beyond Dinan Gate.