Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont St.-Michel, Normandy, France. Photo credit: Amaustan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Long, long ago, an outcropping of granite off the northwest coast of modern-day France was transformed by the passage of time and the effects of nature into a tidal island called Mont-Tombe. In the early 8th century, Bishop Aubert of Avranches, a village in Normandy, had the same dream three times in which the archangel Michael commanded him to build a sanctuary on Mont-Tombe. The bishop christened the church Mont-St-Michel and it became a destination for pilgrims willing to brave the tides and quicksand that impeded easy access to the site. In 966, at the behest of the Duke of Normandy, Richard I, Benedictine monks moved to Mont-St-Michel, laying the foundation in 1023 for the abbey that still stands a millennium later. Today, a dozen members of the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem hold services at and welcome pilgrims to the church while several million tourists visit the island each year.
Building a church using the tools and techniques prevalent in 1023 was no simple task, and doing so on a tidal island presented additional challenges. Granite was transported from the Chausey islands about 20 miles away, floated on boats to the site and hoisted up via a system of ramps and pulleys powered by human effort and exertion. Richard I selected Italian architect William of Volpiano, who had already designed abbeys elsewhere, to design and oversee the construction of a Romanesque church, crypts and chapels carved into and built on top of the rock. Pierre de Caen, or Caen limestone, was also used since it was softer and easier to carve than granite. The monks of Mont-St-Michel took on the production, preservation, and study of manuscripts as well as welcoming pilgrims, making the abbey a key site in the religious life of medieval Europe.
The Cloisters, Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, Normandy, France. Photo credit: Tango7174, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The location of Mont-St-Michel left it vulnerable to repeated conflicts between the English and various French factions over several centuries, causing it to alternate between English and French control as well as be subjected to sieges from time to time. A siege in 1204 destroyed the village and its residents, spreading fire to the abbey itself. French King Philip Augustus provided funds for its reconstruction and expansion, adding the Gothic-style Merveille, two conjoined buildings containing three floors where the monks resided and worked. Two centuries later, King Charles VI reinforced the ramparts and extended the abbey’s network of fortifications, courtyards, and towers.
Mont-St-Michel saw a gradual decline in the volume of pilgrims following the Protestant Reformation and the monks began to receive prisoners sent with letters of cachet (sentences) by the king. The abbey became a full-fledged prison during the French Revolution, when the government seized church property and ordered the monks to depart. Its newfound purpose lasted until 1863 but the buildings had fallen into a state of disrepair. Thanks to the persistent efforts of many, most notably architect Édouard-Jules Corroyer, Mont-St-Michel was designated a Historic Monument in 1874. He spearheaded the restoration of La Merveille and other buildings in the abbey complex. Efforts to improve accessibility by filling in the bay included the 1879 opening of a causeway over the natural path and the partial diversion of the Couesnon River, leaving salt-marsh meadows and silt deposits. In 1897, a neo-Gothic spire topped by a golden statue of Saint Michael was affixed to the top of the church.
Church interior at the abbey of Mont-St-Michel, Normandy, France. Photo credit: Pir6mon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The site’s appeal as a shelter and tourist attraction protected it during the Nazi occupation of northern France in World War II when it served as a German lookout and saw hundreds of thousands of German tourists visit. After the hostilities ended, the French government resumed its oversight of Mont-St-Michel and reinstalled Benedictine monks in 1966, marking a millennium since Richard I called the Benedictine order there. In 1979, UNESCO recognized Mont-St-Michel and its bay as a World Heritage Site for its uniqueness, the architectural examples from multiple eras, and its historical importance. A recently formed group called the Établissement Public du Mont-St-Michel, which coordinates all activities that involve the site, operates in conjunction with the Centre des monuments nationaux, an agency within the French Ministry of Culture responsible for the oversight of historic places owned by the French government.
Over 2 million people visit Mont-St-Michel each year, requiring a careful balance among tourism revenue, environmental concerns, preservation initiatives, and the abbey’s original purpose of religious practices. The 19th century measures taken to facilitate access have mostly been reversed by means of a hydraulic dam that returned Mont-St-Michel to its natural tidal island status and an access bridge built in 2014 that was designed with environmental factors taken into account. Visitors must walk several kilometers from a parking lot or take a shuttle to access the site during visiting hours, since the island is sparsely populated with about a dozen monks and nuns from Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem residing at the abbey and only a small facility to host overnight guests on retreat.
Whether divine intervention played a small or large part in the inception and survival of Mont-St-Michel may be a matter of personal belief, but all who behold its singular magnificence would agree that the entire site is indeed a marvel.
Activité de français
This year marks the thousandth anniversary of the abbey’s inception, an incredible achievement amidst the challenges of time, history, and nature. Since April 2023, Mont-St-Michel has hosted a variety of events - lectures, musical and dance performances, light shows, exhibitions - including a commemorative visit from President Emmanuel Macron. The French-language video below from public broadcasting company France 24 provides a glimpse of Mont-St-Michel as it enters its second millennium.
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