Visit: Abbaye du Mont Saint Michel

On a mountain in an inlet on the western coastline of France, Mont-Saint-Michel is famous in photographs related to Normandy. The inlet was initially surrounded by Celtic inhabitants, but legend has it that Archangel Michael appeared to Bishop Aubert of Avranches and instructed him to build an oratory.

When the Duke Richard I of Normandy installed Benedictine monks on the mountain in 966, construction began on the Romanesque abbey church, and the Mount became an essential place of pilgrimage. The abbey produced, preserved and studied many manuscripts while it welcomed diverse pilgrims including several kings.

William the Conqueror gave financial support to the abbey of Mont Saint Michel in 1066 after his victory at Hastings. Then Philip Augustus, King of France, financed more of the construction with a Gothic design in 1203.

Two major fires (1204 and 1228) destroyed the buildings, but with perseverance they were reconstructed. But it was the victory through the English siege during the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) that solidified this mountainous rock as a historical reference point for all of France, though it sustained some damage. Yet, darker days were on the horizon.

In 1469, Louis XI shifted this religious monument to an isolated prison for political prisoners and again in 1786 the state officially closed the abbey and expelled the monks to create a prison through the French Revolution.

The French government declared Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel a historic monument in 1874, and it was somehow spared devastation during the the Second World War. Then it became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1979.

Today, more than 3 million tourists and pilgrims visit the abbey paying for the ongoing renovations for this beautiful monument which represents French freedom and resilience.

Religious Practice

For more than 1000 years, the abbey was a religious sanctuary. From the giant cathedral to the small chapels, spiritual growth still hums here.

Prison

Historians were not afraid to tell visitors how the abbey was decommissioned and used to house military equipment and prisoners during war.

Innovation

When your home is perched upon a hill, you must get creative in the delivery of goods. Sadly though, this "elevator" was human powered during its designation as a prison.

Crowds

This UNESCO site can get crowded, so plan your visit accordingly. A shuttle moves people from the parking lot to the bridge.

Stairs and Mobility

From the edge of town and throughout the abbey, there are stairs! Thankfully, there are also many landings to rest as well as benches throughout the abbey.

A Backdoor Entry

This is the location where the shuttle bus delivers people. Most people enter the walls and turn right to see the town first. There are many stairs this way. We turned left and walked up the road where delivery truck travel. This eliminated lots of stairs and then we saw the town on the way down.

Mystery

Nowhere in our tour was there a reference to the numbered bricks on the terrace. Are they just a "masons mark"? Did they have religious meaning? Were they used for prisoners?

Logistics and Mysteries

The Abbaye du Mont Saint Michel welcomes over 3million visitors each year. It truly is a wonderful place to explore, but it will help to know some logistics before you go. Though we paid for the virtual audio/visual table, there were mysterious observations that were not shared with the average listener.

Throughout the abbey there are dates carved into the rock. They indicate when these additions were built.

It's mind-blowing to see how this monument was built on a rock surrounded by ocean. Inside, you can witness the sheer magnitude of this building project. This was just one of many fireplaces.

Date Stamps

Magnitude

Beauty and Grandure

For two stone followers, we were continually mesmerized by the beauty of this UNESCO world heritage site. Taking our time to ascend and descend staircases we gasped in discovery at each new room.

The Town

The beauty in the town around the abbey is often overlooked by tourists hurrying toward the next big site in France. This portion of the island is completely free to admire. Visit and play if you can.