| Visions Index |
Country: France
Number:1
Photo: A) Le Mont Saint Michel
Season: Summer (June)
Did you know?
This popular and well-visited French Monument is located of the Coast of Normandy in the Baie Du Mont Saint Michel. This bay has the strongest tides in Europe which helped Le Mont Saint Michel to be an impregnable fortress. Built on a small rock island which has a circumference of a little over half-a-mile and has a height of 260 feet, this medieval structure is a spectacular sight. The land along the coast is flat so you can see fairytale-like outline of Le Mont Saint Michel from a distance , as you draw nearer all the details of its marvelous architecture become apparent.
It is said that in 708 A.D. the Bishop of Avranches, St. Aubert, had three dreams in which Mont St. Michel appeared to him. Before 1000 A.D. the Pre-Romanesque church was built on the rock island and dedicated to Saint Michael. The Romanesque abbey church was added in the 11th century. It was built over a succession of crypts on the very top of the island. Along the North face of the rock early monastery buildings were also added. The monastery buildings were extended to the west and to the south in the 12th century.
King Phillip Augustus of France conquered Normandy in the 13th century. To ease tensions with the people he made a generous donation to the abbey. This gift made it possible for Le Mont Saint Michel to be completed to the marvel that it is today. Two three-story buildings topped with the cloisters and the refectory was added. The refectory is where a reader would read to the monks from a pulpit while they ate their meals in silence.
During the One Hundred Years War in the 14th century, it became necessary to build a defensive system so that the abbey could be protected. Its reputation as an impregnable fortress as the was able to withstand an English siege lasting thirty years. A flamboyant Gothic chancel was built in the minster in the 15th century. It replaced the Romanesque chancel which fell. Work continued on the monastery buildings along the south side of the abbey until the 18th century.
During the days of the French Revolution and in the mid 19th century the abbey was turned into a prison. In 1874 Le Mont St. Michel was designated a French historic monument and major restoration work was done. In 1969 a community of monks moved back to the island. This provides a permanent spiritual presence. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in France because of its fabulous architecture, old buildings, and fantastic setting.
Additional Information
A visit to Le Mont St. Michel will provide you with an overview of medieval architecture: Pre-Romanesque, Romanesque, and Gothic. Though you cant see it in the picture, atop the highest steeple of Le Mont St. Michel is a gold statue of Saint Michael. Devotion to this archangel had great significance in medieval life. Archangel Michael had three important tasks: 1) He weighed peoples souls in order to separate the elect and the damned. 2) He led the elected to heaven and protected them from any lurking demons. 3) He guarded the gates of Paradise. Therefore high mountain peaks (close to heaven) and high chapels above entrances of churches were dedicated to Saint Michael. Miquelots were pilgrims who came from far away places to this abbey to honor the cult of St. Michael. The abbey was also a renowned center of medieval learning. It is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry (see and read about Bayeux on another report).
Picture: B) The shoreline around Le Mont St. Michel (taken from the West platform of the abbey)
Did you know?
The silt carried down by the rivers and the strong tides of the bay have naturally built up the marshy land along the shores of Le Mont St. Michel. A causeway (dyke) was built in 1879 to connect the abbey to mainland has speeded up the process. Though the island used to be over a mile away from the shore, it is predicted that by the year 2000 the island will no longer be separated from the mainland. Sheep graze on the shores along Le Mont St. Michel.
Additional Information:
Construction of Le Mont Saint Michel did not begin until 966 when the Duke of Normandy entrusted the island and project to a group of Benedictine monks. From the year 1000 to the beginning of the 16th century, the monks worked without interruption. From the beginning this abbey was a popular place of pilgrimage. About 850,000 visitors come to this national monument each year.
Bonus Questions: