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| The abbey of Mont Saint Michel, France |
This is one of the most amazing islands of France, located in the region of Normandie, approximately one kilometer off the country’s north- western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches. Its history dates back to the sixth century. The Mont Saint Michel and its bay were added to the UNESCO list in 1979, and it was listed with criteria such as cultural, historical, and architectural significance, as well as human-created and natural beauty. This mecca of tourism welcomes more than three million visitors a ye
Ancient History
Mont Saint Michel was used in the 6th and 7th centuries as an Armorican stronghold of Romano-Breton cultute and power, until it was ransacked by the Franks. According to legend, Archangel Michael appeared to St.Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel's instruction, until Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger.
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| Mont Saint Michel, France |
The mount gained strategic significance in 933 when William "Long Sword", William I, Duke of Normandy, annexed the Cotentin Peninsula, definitively placing the mount in Normandy. It is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry which commemorates the 1066 Norman conquest of England. Harold, Earl of Wessex is pictured on the tapestry rescuing two Norman knights from the quicksand in the tidal flats during a battle with Conan II, Duke of Brittany. Norman Ducal patronage financed the spectacular Norman architecture of the abbey in subsequent centuries. In 1067, the monastery of Mont Saint Michel gave its support to duke William of Normandy in his claim to the throne of England. It was rewarded with properties and grounds on the English side of the Channel.
In the 11th century, the Romanesque abbey church was founded over a set of crypts where the rock comes to an apex, and the first monastery buildings were built up against its north wall.
In the 12th century, the Romanesque monastery buildings were extended to the west and south.
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Room of the Mont, Mont Saint Michel, France
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| Mont Saint Michel Abbey Cloisters, Franc |
In the 14th century, the Hundred Years War made it necessary to protect the abbey behind a set of military constructions, enabling it to hold out against a siege lasting 30 years.
In the 15th century, the Romanesque chancel of the abbey church, broken down in 1421 was replaced by the Gothic Flamboyant chancel.
The wealth and influence of the abbey extended to many daughter foundations, including St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall. However, its popularity and prestige as a centre of pilgrimage waned with the Reformation, and by the time of the French Revolution there were scarcely any monks in residence. The abbey was closed and converted into a prison, initially to hold clerical opponents of the republican régime. High-profile political prisoners followed, but by 1836, influential figures – including Victor Hugo – had launched a campaign to restore what was seen as a national architectural treasure. The prison was finally closed in 1863, and the mount was declared a historic monument in 1874. As we already said The Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.
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| Mont Saint Michel, France |
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| Mont Saint Michel at night, France |
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| Mont Saint Michel, France |
Once you go there you have to visit The abbey, Knights' Hall, The museums and The Parish church. Going through the Boulevard Gate and then the King’s Gate fortified with its portcullis, you will find the « Grande Rue » or main street of this unique village, wih its museums, shops, brasseries and houses dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. It represents a long, winding cobblestone path. The parish church consecrated to St-Pierre, the patron saint of fishermen is a small edifice from the 15th and 16th centuries.Finally we get to the « Grande Degre » or Grande Staircase whose majesty is a prelude to the « Marvel ». After admiring the Abbey church, you can enjoy the beautiful and matchless view over the bay when going down the ramparts path. You can wander at leisure, and probably get lost, among the maze of rooms, staircases, and vaulted halls that make up the abbey. Something that you should not avoid doing is to see the tides. In this area they change quickly and have been described by Victor Hugo as "à la vitesse d'un cheval au galop" or "as swiftly as a galloping horse". These tides are the highest ones in Europe.They can vary greatly, at roughly 14 metres (46 ft) between high and low water marks. Popularly nicknamed "St. Michael in peril of the sea" by medieval pilgrims making their way across the flats, the mount can still pose dangers for visitors who avoid the causeway and attempt the hazardous walk across the sands from the neighbouring coast. You would need to be there very early in the morning to see the tides vome in, or again 12 hours later for the evening tide. The best place on the mount to watch the tide is at the North tower. Go up on to the battlements and go up to your left as far as you can.
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| Mont Saint Michel, France |
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