Page 52 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

Mont-St-Michel
50 EUROPE

Shrouded by mist and encircled by sea, the enchanting silhouette of Mont-
OVER THE CENTURIES
St-Michel soars proudly above glistening sands. Now linked to the mainland
by a causeway, the island of Mont-Tombe (Tomb on the Hill) stands at the
mouth of the Couesnon River, crowned by an abbey that almost doubles its
height. This superb example of a fortified abbey ranks as one of the most
significant sites of pilgrimage in Christendom. Lying strategically on the
frontier between Brittany and Normandy, Mont-St-Michel grew from a
humble 8th-century oratory to become a Benedictine monastery of great
Th$ 10th·C$ntllry abb$y
Ri<hard I, Duke of Normandy, founded influence. Pilgrims known as mique!ots journeyed from afar to honor the
this great Benedi<tine abbey in 966.
cult of St. Michael, and the monastery was a renowned center of medieval
learning. After the French Revolution, the abbey became a prison. It is
now a national monument that draws one million visitors a year.

Abbey
Protected by high walls, the ------':
abbey and its church occupy
~ Gautier's leap an impregnable position on
At the top of the inner the island.
staircase, this terrace is
named after a prisoner
Th$ 11th·C$ntllryabb$y who leaped to his death. ____ __:ff;;;;:~~~b,~~~~~~~~jf~lij~1
The Romanesque <hur<h was built ~~~
between 1017 and 1144 (Romanesque
Style, seep. 122).
~ St Aubert's Chapel -

Gabriel Tower
This was built in 1524
by the military engineer
Gabriel du Puy.

Th$ 18th·C$ntllry abb$y
The number of monks slowly dwindled,
and in 1790 the abbey was disbanded and
turned into a poli ti <al prison.

THE FORTIFICATIONS
Mont-St-Michel became a symbol
of French national identity when its
defensive 15th-century walls protected
~Ramparts
it against fierce cannon attacks in the Fortified walls with imposing
Hundred Years' War. The whole of towers were built to withstand
Normandy was conquered by the attacks by lhe English during
English, except this well-fortified island. the Hundred Years' War
(1337-1453) Entrance

KEY DATES
708 966 1446-1521 1863-74 1877-9 1895-7 1922 1979
St. Aubert builds Duke Ri:hard I A flamboyant Gothic The prison closes and A causeway is bui~, The belfry, spire, and Religious services Mont-St-Michel i5
an oratory dedicated founds the choir replaces the the abbey is declared a linking Mont-St-Michel 9.atue of St. Michael resume in the added to UNESCO's
to St. Michael on Benedi:tine abbey. Romanesq ue one in national monument. and mainland France. are added. abbey church. World Heritage S~e list.
Mont-Tombe. the abbey church.