The Dragon from the Legend of Roche-Maurice

A small group, including a man on horseback, another in a cloak, and a child, has gathered around the body of a dead dragon held on a leash by a fourth man, while in the background a castle perched on a rocky peak towers over the forest.

The castle of La Roche-Maurice is located in Brittany, in an area where, according to legend, a dragon once terrorized the people and devoured their cattle.

To keep the dragon as quiet as possible, it was decided that some nearby residents would be regularly led to the monster’s lair, where they would be abandoned to their fate. One day, the son of the local king was chosen to be among the next victims.

Stricken by despair, the king attempted to throw himself into the river. However, as he was about to drown, two travelers passing by heard his cries and saved him. These travelers turned out to be saints on their way from Constantinople to England. After hearing the king’s story, they offered to set out to subdue and kill the dragon, on the condition that the king would build a church and raise his son according to the Christian faith.

The caption reads in the original French: La légende de la Roche-Morice [sic].