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MONT SAINT-MICHEL

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Mont Saint Michel 

Mont Saint-Michel, "Wonder of the Western World" is one of the main monuments of interest in France, due to the original nature of the site and the beauty of the architecture.
This rocky islet has a circumference of close to one kilometre (0.6 miles), is 80 metres (262 ft.) high and is attached to the Bay by an insubmersible dyke built in 1879. In the 21st Century, Mont Saint-Michel continues its thousand-year-old tradition of welcoming visitors. During the period of spring tides, twice per month, the sight of the incoming tide is spectacular. The tide amplitude is the highest in Europe.


mont-saint-michel-facade-patrimoineHistorical background: 
It was at the request of the Archangel Michael, "leader of the celestial armies", that Aubert, the bishop of Avranches, built and consecrated the first church on 16 October 709. In 966, at the request of the Duke of Normandy, a community of Benedictines went to live on the rock. The pre-Roman church was built before the year one thousand.
In the 11th Century, the Roman abbey church was built on a set of crypts on the tip of the rock and the first conventual buildings were established against its north wall.
In the 12th Century, the Roman conventual buildings were extended to the west and to the south.
In the 13th Century, a donation by the King of France, Philippe Auguste, following the conquest of Normandy, made it possible to undertake all the Gothic buildings of the "Merveille": two three-storey buildings crowned by the cloister and the refectory.
In the 14th and 15th Centuries, because of the Hundred Years War, the abbey had to be protected by a set of military buildings that enabled it to withstand the siege of more than thirty years.
The Roman choir of the abbey church, which collapsed in 1421, was replaced by the Flamboyant Gothic choir at the end of the Middle Ages.
This great spiritual and intellectual centre, along with Rome and Santiago de Compostela, was one of the most important pilgrimages in Medieval Western world. For almost one thousand years, men, women and children came by roads called the "way to Paradise" to seek the assurance of eternity from the Archangel of judgement and the weigher of souls.
The Abbey, which became a prison during the Revolution and Napoleonic era, required significant restoration work starting at the end of the 19th Century. Since 1874, it has been entrusted to the French services of historical monuments.
Prior to the celebration of the thousandth year of the monastery in 1966, a religious community moved into the former abbey, thereby perpetuating the initial purpose of the place; Prayer and Welcome. The Friars and Nuns of the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem have been ensuring this spiritual presence since 2001.
At the same time as the development of the abbey, a village was being organised as of the Middle Ages. It thrived on the south-eastern side of the rock, in the shelter of walls, most of them dating back to the Hundred Years War. This village has always had a commercial purpose.
Listed as a "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO in 1979, this Mecca for tourists currently receives more than three million visitors per year.

Abbaye-mont-saint-michelThe abbey: 
The 11th to 16th Centuries. The abbey can be visited with or without a guide or even with a Historical Monuments speaker. Based on the rock, this provides a better understanding of the religious life through 1,000 years of architecture. Certain buildings are reserved for the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem, which ensures continuous prayers in the abbey.


 



The road: rue-mont-saint-michel
At the entrance is the Bavole gate, built by Gabriel du Puy in 1590, and following the only road: the “Cour de l'Avancée”.
To the left, the Burghers’ Guardroom (early 16th Century), the current Tourist Office. To the right, the "Michelettes" English canons recovered in 1434. The Boulevard
gate (end of the 15th Century). The boulevard or barbican with its embrasures and loopholes. The King's Gate where the portcullis is visible. Above this gate is the King's house, now the town hall. To the right is Arcade House, a picturesque wood-framed house. Artichoke House straddles the street. Finally, the Grand Degré staircase, whose majesty is a prelude to the “Merveille”, with a view across the vast expanses of sand.






gastronomie-mont-saint-michelGastronomy:
The hotel and restaurant business contributes to the reputation of Mont Saint-Michel: the traditional omelette, leg of lamb and fish and shellfish from the bay are local specialities.







le-mont-saint-michel-souvenirsSouvenirs: 
In a Medieval town, the women and men keep up the tradition of shopkeepers from the Middle Ages who, for more than 1,000 years, have been serving visitors and pilgrims looking for a souvenir of their journey to the Wonder of the Western World.
Specialities: copperware, pottery, earthenware;








Contact:
 Office de Tourisme
B.P.4
50170 Le Mont Saint-Michel
02 33 60 14 30