The long history of Mont-Saint-Michel is thought to date back to AD 708, when Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, had a sanctuary built on Mont-Tombe in honor of the Archangel.  The mount soon became a major focus of pilgrimage.  In the tenth century, the Benedictines settled in the abbey, while a village grew up below its walls.  By the fourteenth century it extended as far as the foot of the rock.  An impregnable stronghold during the Hundred Years' War (Guerre de Cent Ans, 1337-1453), Mont-Santo-Saint-Michel is also an example of military architecture.  Its ramparts and fortifications resisted the Mount became a symbol of national identity.
  Following the dissolution of the religious community during the Revolution and until 1863 the abbey was used as a prison.  Classified as a historic monument in 1874, it underwent major restoration work.  Since then, work has gone on regularly all over the site.  The result is that visitors can now experience the splendor of the abbey that the people of the Middle Ages regarded as a representation of the heavenly Jerusalem on earth, an image of Paradise.  Mont-Saint-Michel has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1979.
  Saint Michael, head of the heavenly militia, was of great importance to Medieval religious sensibility.  In the New Testament, Saint Michael appears in the Book of Revelation: he fights and defeats a dragon, symbol of the devil.  To Medieval man living in expectation and dread of the hereafter, Saint Michael was the one who led away the dead and put their souls in the balance on the day of the Last Judgement.  Very widespread in the East from the fourth century, the worship of Saint Michael only appeared in the West in the late fifth century with the building of the first sanctuary at Monte Gargano (Italy) in 492.  Around the year 1000, churches and chapels dedicated to the Saint proliferated all over Europe, often on the top of hills or promontories.  After the Hundred Years War, devotion to Saint Michael took on a special dimension because of the resistance of the Mount against the English.  Finally, this worship expanded rapidly with the Counter-Reformation, for in the eyes of the Church it was only the warlike angel who could fight against the Protestant heresy.  In Christian iconography, Saint Michael is often depicted holding a sword and a set of scales.  Popular traditions and cults have made Saint Michael the patron saint of knights and of all guilds associated with arms and scales.  The statue that stands on top of the belfry has the traditional attributes of the archangel.  It was made in 1897 by the sculptor Emmanuel Fremiert and commissioned by the architect Victor Petitgrand who wanted to see the new 32-metre steeple suitably crowned.  The statue was restored in 1987.
  The abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel is a unique building: its plan is unlike that of any other monastery.  Constrained by the pyramidal shape of the Mount, its medieval builders wrapped the buildings around the granite rock.  The abbey church, situated at the top, stands on crypts that create a platform designed to take the weight of a church 80 metres long.  The building known as the Merveille, often regarded as the jewel of the abbey's archtecture, is evidence of the architectural mastery of its thirteenth century builders who succeeded in perchin two blocks of three-storey buildings on a steep rocky slope.  This required very precise technical calculations.  On the ground floor, the narrow side aisle of the cellar arcts as a buttress.  The layout and architecture of the buildings is influenced by the guiding principles of monastic life.  The rule of Saint Benedict observed by the monks of the Mount, dictated that their days be devoted to prayer and work, so the rooms were organized around these two activities and the space was reserved exclusively for the monks to respect the principle of an enclosed order.  Again, faithful to this principle, the rooms set aside to receive the laity were put on the ground floor and first floor of the Merveille.  The construction of the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel therefore conformed to two major imperatives: the requirements of monastic life and the constraints of topography.  (Main reference: The Official Pamphlet of Mont-Saint-Michel.)

IMAGE

IMAGE NO.

DATA

En route

Bocage

msm2008-003

(Friday 27 June) A bocage on the way from Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-004

(Friday 27 June) A bocage on the way from Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-005

(Friday 27 June) A bocage on the way from Paris to Mont-Saint-Michel

Overview of Mont-Saint-Michel

The long history of Mont-Saint-Michel is thought to date back to AD 708, when Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, had a sanctuary built on Mont-Tombe in honor of the Archangel. The mount soon became a major focus of pilgrimage. In the tenth century, the Benedictines settled in the abbey, while a village grew up below its walls. By the fourteenth century it extended as far as the foot of the rock. An impregnable stronghold during the Hundred Years' War, Mont-Santo-Saint-Michel is also an example of military architecture. Its ramparts and fortifications resisted the Mount became a symbol of national identity. Following the dissolution of the religious community during the Revolution and until 1863 the abbey was used as a prison. Classified as a historic monument in 1874, it underwent major restoration work. Since then, work has gone on regularly all over the site. The result is that visitors can now experience the splendor of the abbey that the people of the Middle Ages regarded as a representation of the heavenly Jerusalem on earth, an image of Paradise. Mont-Saint-Michel has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1979.

msm2008-019

(Friday 27 June) Mont-Saint-Michel, viewed from the car park

msm2008-021

(Friday 27 June) Mont-Saint-Michel, viewed from the car park

msm2008-022

(Friday 27 June) Mont-Saint-Michel, viewed from the car park

msm2008-028

(Friday 27 June) Mont-Saint-Michel, viewed from the car park

msm2008-029

(Friday 27 June) Mont-Saint-Michel, viewed from the car park

msm2008-030

(Friday 27 June) The abbey church of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-031

(Friday 27 June) Tour Gabriel (1524) and the The Fanils (storehouse) of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-032

(Friday 27 June) Antique canons near the entrance to Mont-Saint-Michel

Town of Mont-Saint-Michel

The town of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-033

(Friday 27 June) Porte du Boulevard to the town of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-035

(Friday 27 June) The town of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-036

(Friday 27 June) The town of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-037

(Friday 27 June) The town of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-038

(Friday 27 June) Biscuiterie La Mere Poulard, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-039

(Friday 27 June) Biscuits, Biscuiterie La Mere Poulard, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-040

(Friday 27 June) The town of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-041

(Friday 27 June) Restaurant Creperie Les Terrasses Poulard, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-042

(Friday 27 June) Some seafood on display at Restaurant Creperie Les Terrasses Poulard, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-046

(Friday 27 June) At Restaurant Creperie Les Terrasses Poulard, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-047

(Friday 27 June) L'omelette de la mere Poulard, Restaurant Creperie Les Terrasses Poulard, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-048

(Friday 27 June) L'omelette de la mere Poulard, Restaurant Creperie Les Terrasses Poulard, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-049

(Friday 27 June) L'omelette de la mere Poulard assorted with slices of French bread, Restaurant Creperie Les Terrasses Poulard, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-051

(Friday 27 June) L'omelette de la mere Poulard, Restaurant Creperie Les Terrasses Poulard, Mont-Saint-Michel. The famous omlette is very delicious with the local Cidre Normandie.

msm2008-052

(Friday 27 June) At Restaurant Creperie Les Terrasses Poulard, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-125

(Friday 27 June) The tomb of Mme Annette Poulard (1851-1931) who founded the three-star hotel La Mere Poulard (Grande Rue BP 18, Le Mont Saint Michel 50170 France) and first made the traditional giant omelette (L'omelette de la mere Poulard) for the pilgrims who came across the sea, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-126

(Friday 27 June) The narrowest path of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-127

(Friday 27 June) The narrowest path of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-128

(Friday 27 June) Plates an pottery of Rouen ware on display, Mont-Saint-Michel. At Rouen, as at Nevers, France, faience was made in the Dutch-Chinese manner, using a camaieu (monochrome) technique to decorate a fine milky-white background. At first the decoration was executed only in blue; then red and yellow were added to produce polychrome ware. A still costlier and rarer type of this faience, made in about 1725, was of black and blue design on a yellow or brown background; an even rarer one was of red on blue. In the second half of the eighteenth century another striking type of Rouen faience was the highly original oriental-style ware, the makers of which blended elements of the Chinese famille rose and famille verte styles with elements from the Japanese Kakiemon style. Rouen, like Nevers, also produced cheaper and more popular faience parlante type of ware with satiric genre scenes, including the music plates that are sought after as the source of information about the popular songs of the eighteenth century. Like Nevers, too, Rouen produced large free-standing statuary. Production declined in both cities, however; the faience factories of Rouen had dwindled to only 10 in 1798. Rouen porcelain has a slightly greenish tinge, though it is translucent and is decorated in a blue camaieu. Edme Poterat developed the soft-paste porcelain in an effort to imitate delftware; Rouen porcelain was produced under royal privilege granted to his son Louis Poterat from 1673 until 1696, when Louis died without divulging its secret. The products of that period, now very rare, were small vases, cosmetic jars, and condiment containers. Specimens are often confused with the better known Saint-Cloud porcelain. In 1743 Nicolas Levavasseur attempted to revive the production of porcelain in Rouen, but his wares were of poor quality. (Quoted from Brittanica.com.) Rouen is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital of the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) region. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, Rouen was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages. It was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from the eleventh century to the fifteenth century. It was in Rouen where Joan of Arc was burnt in 1431. People from Rouen are called Rouennais. The population of the metropolitan area (Fr. aire urbaine) at the 1999 census was 518,316 inhabitants and 541,410 inhabitants at the 2007 estimate. The city proper has an estimated population of 109,000 in 2007. (Referred to the site of Wikipedia.)

msm2008-129

(Friday 27 June) A high-qualified plate of Rouen ware, Mont-Saint-Michel

Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel

The Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-057

(Friday 27 June) The abbot house, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-059

(Friday 27 June) Gate to the Merveille, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-060

(Friday 27 June) Part of the Merveille, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-061

(Friday 27 June) The Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-062

(Friday 27 June) The Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-119

(Friday 27 June) The Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-123

(Friday 27 June) The Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-064

(Friday 27 June) A downward view from the Abbey Church of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-065

(Friday 27 June) A panoramic view from Mont-Saint-Michel. Three rivers, La Sea, La Selune and La Couesnon, low onto the strand. The latter marks the boundary between Brittany and Normandy for, as the old saying goes: "La Couesnon's act of folly left the Mont in Normandy." [Lucien Bely, Wonderful Mont Saint-Michel. (Edilarge SA, Rennes: Editions Quest-France, 2008), p.6]

msm2008-066

(Friday 27 June) Tour Gabriel (1524), viewed from the Abbey Church of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-067

(Friday 27 June) A panoramic view from Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-121

(Friday 27 June) A panoramic view from Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-069

(Friday 27 June) The Romanesque Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel. The church was built during the eleventh century and took about six years to complete. It was built on top of the rock which first had to be flattened. This daring construction was fragile and required alteration on several occasions over the years. [Lucien Bely, Wonderful Mont Saint-Michel. (Edilarge SA, Rennes: Editions Quest-France, 2008), p.45]

msm2008-070

(Friday 27 June) The stone floor in front of the Romanesque Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-071

(Friday 27 June) Interior of the Romanesque Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel.

msm2008-072

(Friday 27 June) Interior of the Romanesque Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-073

(Friday 27 June) Interior of the Romanesque Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-074

(Friday 27 June) Interior of the Romanesque Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-076

(Friday 27 June) The Romanesque Abbey Church, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-075

(Friday 27 June) The Gothic Cloisters (early 13th century) of Mont-Saint-Michel. At the top of the Merville, elegant galleries surround the small garden. This space, between the sky and the sea, once reserved for monks, was a place for strolling, meditation and conversation. [Lucien Bely, Wonderful Mont Saint-Michel. (Edilarge SA, Rennes: Editions Quest-France, 2008), p.58]

msm2008-077

(Friday 27 June) The Gothic Cloisters (early 13th century) of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-078

(Friday 27 June) The Gothic Cloisters (early 13th century) of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-079

(Friday 27 June) The Gothic Cloisters (early 13th century) of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-080

(Friday 27 June) The Gothic Cloisters (early 13th century) of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-081

(Friday 27 June) The Gothic Cloisters (early 13th century) of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-082

(Friday 27 June) The Gothic Cloisters (early 13th century) of Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-083

(Friday 27 June) The Cross of the Refectory (early 13th century), Mont-Saint-Michel where monastic meals were served.

msm2008-084

(Friday 27 June) The ceiling of the Refectory (early 13th century), Mont-Saint-Michel where monastic meals were served.

msm2008-085

(Friday 27 June) At the Refectory (early 13th century), Mont-Saint-Michel where monastic meals were served. Japanese tourists were listening to the guide Mr. Tamotsu Takahashi who has researched here over years.

msm2008-086

(Friday 27 June) At the Refectory (early 13th century), Mont-Saint-Michel where monastic meals were served.

msm2008-087

(Friday 27 June) At the Refectory (early 13th century), Mont-Saint-Michel where monastic meals were served. Japanese tourists were fascinated by the guide Mr. Tamotsu Takahashi's prayer in Medieval Latin.

msm2008-088

(Friday 27 June) Mural of Saint Michael and Aubert

msm2008-090

(Friday 27 June) The vault of the Salle des Chevaliers (Knights' Room, early 13th century), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-091

(Friday 27 June) The vault of the Salle des Chevaliers (Knights' Room, early 13th century), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-092

(Friday 27 June) Fireplace of Salle des Chevaliers (Knights' Room, early 13th century), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-093

(Friday 27 June) Chimney of Salle des Chevaliers (Knights' Room, early 13th century), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-094

(Friday 27 June) The Merveille (the facework of the Salle des Chevaliers), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-095

(Friday 27 June) The joint part between the Salle des Chevaliers and the Salle des Hotes (Guests' Room), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-096

(Friday 27 June) The crypt known as Gros Pillars (1446-1450), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-097

(Friday 27 June) The crypt known as Gros Pillars (1446-1450), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-098

(Friday 27 June) The chapel of Saint-Martin, supporting the southern transept of the abbey church, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-099

(Friday 27 June) The chapel of Saint-Etienne, situated between the infirmary which collapsed in the early nineteenth century, and the monks' ossuary. This was of course the chapel of the dead.

msm2008-100

(Friday 27 June) The sacred wall of the chapel of Saint-Etienne, in which some bones of some high priests were embedded

msm2008-101

(Friday 27 June) The sacred floor of the chapel of Saint-Etienne, where the corpses of some high priests were buried

msm2008-102

(Friday 27 June) The tread wheel (19th century), the Romanesque ossuary, Mont-Saint-Michel. The Romanesque abbey was extended to the south by buildings designed to accommodate pilgrims. These three-story tall buildings collapsed in 1817. The only reminder of them nowadays is a detailed scale model which dates from 1701. The infirmary, which has now disappeared, once opened onto the Chapel of Saint Stephen, the mortuary. The monks' ossuary was next to it. The prison authorities later installed a large tread wheel in the ossuary. Prisoners were forced to march inside the wheel to turn it, hoisting provisions up a stone ramp propped against the rock. It was in fact throwback to the tread wheel formerly used by the monks in the Middle Ages.; [Lucien Bely, Wonderful Mont Saint-Michel. (Edilarge SA, Rennes: Editions Quest-France, 2008), p.54]

msm2008-103

(Friday 27 June) The tread wheel (19th century), the Romanesque ossuary, Mont-Saint-Michel.

msm2008-104

(Friday 27 June) The tread wheel (19th century), the Romanesque ossuary, Mont-Saint-Michel.

msm2008-105

(Friday 27 June) The tread wheel (19th century), the Romanesque ossuary, Mont-Saint-Michel.

msm2008-106

(Friday 27 June) The Romanesque ossuary, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-107

(Friday 27 June) The Romanesque ossuary, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-108

(Friday 27 June) Notre-Dame sous Terre (mid-10th century), Mont-Saint-Michel. This Pre-Romanesque church dates from the mid-tenth century, when the abbey was founded. It has two parallel aisles separated by a wall consisting of two arcades. The Cyclopean wall at the back of the chapel may be a throwback to the former oratory dating from the eighth and ninth centuries. The church, originally freestanding, became a crypt when the Romanesque nave was built above it. It was badly damaged during the eighteenth century and then restored in the twentieth century. [Lucien Bely, Wonderful Mont Saint-Michel. (Edilarge SA, Rennes: Editions Quest-France, 2008), p.54]

msm2008-109

(Friday 27 June) Notre-Dame sous Terre (mid-10th century), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-110

(Friday 27 June) Notre-Dame sous Terre (mid-10th century), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-111

(Friday 27 June) Notre-Dame sous Terre (mid-10th century), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-112

(Friday 27 June) Notre-Dame sous Terre (mid-10th century), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-113

(Friday 27 June) Notre-Dame sous Terre (mid-10th century), Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-114

(Friday 27 June) The almonry on the first floor beneath the Salle des Hotes (Guests' Room), where the monks received the poor as well as pilgrims from all walks of life.

msm2008-116

(Friday 27 June) A replica of "Saint Michel terrassant le demon (the statue of Saint Michael beating the demon; the original on the top of the abbey by Emmanuel Fremiet in 1895), the almonry, Mont-Saint-Michel

msm2008-122

(Friday 27 June) A path to the town from the Abbey