Le Mont-Saint-Michel (France)

Mont Saint Michel is a small rocky islet, roughly one kilometer from the north coast of France at the mouth of the River Couesnon, near Avranches in Normandy, close to the border of Brittany. It is home to the unusual Benedictine Abbey Church (built between the 11th and 16th centuries) which occupies most of the one kilometer diameter clump of rocks jutting out of the ocean.

It is connected to the mainland via a thin natural land bridge, which before modernization was covered at high tide, and revealed at low tide. Thus, Mont Saint Michel gained a mystical quality, being an island half the time, and being attached to land the other: a tidal island.

The first pictures were taken during the night. Thanks to my tripod most pictures are really fantastic - despite the dark night. Unfortunately it was raining cats and dogs on the next morning. Also it was extremely windy. Therefore the second half of the pictures looks very grey.

The ten closest neighbours in the database:

Paris (France) (282 km), Amiens (France) (310 km), London (Great Britian) (334 km), Reims (France) (410 km), Brussels (Belgium) (487 km), Verdun (France) (506 km), Maginot Fort Hackenberg (579 km), Aachen (Germany) (595 km), Bilbao (Spain) (609 km), Dublin (Ireland) (621 km)

Take a birds-eye view of the current location:

Google Maps, Map 24, MSN Virtual Earth, Yahoo!Maps

Mont-Saint-Michel by night
Mont-Saint-Michel by night
City wall of Mont-Saint-Michel
Restaurant in Mont-Saint-Michel during the night
Picturesque Old Town of Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel at night
Mont-Saint-Michel at night
Mont-Saint-Michel at night
Mont-Saint-Michel at night
Mont-Saint-Michel at night
Light and shadows in the streets of the Old Town of Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel
The open kitchen of a restaurant at the main entrance of Mont-Saint-Michel
Picturesque Old Town of Mont-Saint-Michel
Picturesque Old Town of Mont-Saint-Michel
Picturesque Old Town of Mont-Saint-Michel at night
Picturesque Old Town of Mont-Saint-Michel at night
Gate to the upper sections of Mont-Saint-Michel. The weather conditions were terrible and it was raining cats and dogs.
The stair leads to the abbey church of Mont-Saint-Michel. The weather conditions were terrible and it was raining cats and dogs.
Faucet in the wall below the abbey church of Mont-Saint-Michel
Interior of the abbey church of Mont-Saint-Michel. The work on the chuch began in the 11th century.
This door leads from the inside of the church to the main terrace with a magnificent view over the surrounding wadden sea.
A couple is standing on the large terrace in front of the abbey church. She wears a pink umbrella to protect herself from the inconvenience of the bad weather.
Terrace in front of the abbey church
Terrace in front of the abbey church. Deep below lies the tideland of the surrounding Atlantic Ocean.
View from the terrace in front of the abbey church
The parking space in front of the city walls of Mont Saint Michel is sometimes also flooded by the tide. The tides can vary greatly, at roughly 14 meters between high and low water marks. Popularly nicknamed St. Michael in peril of the sea by mediaeval pilgrims making their way across the tidal flats, the mount can still pose dangers for visitors who avoid the causeway and attempt the hazardous walk across the sands from the neighbouring coast. The dangers from the tides and quicksands continue to claim lives.
Tideland around Mont Saint Michel
View from the terrace in front of the abbey church to the Cloister
The Cloister of Mont Saint-Michel. It comprises a roofed gallery surrounding a small garden.
The Cloister is a place for meditation and discussion
East of the Cloister lies the Refectory. It was normally used as a guest hall.
Tower of the abbey church
The Guest or Dining Room is situated on the second floor of the Merveille. It has two large fireplaces once used to prepare the meals. The cooking area was separated from the rest of the room by tapestries.
During the French Revolution the abbey was almost deserted. It was closed down and converted into a prison - mainly for political prisoners of the clergy. In this period the mountain was often called Mont Libre - a taunting name for a jail for 15,000 to 18,000 political prisoners. Raspail and Barbès were only two of the many jailed high above the Atlantic Ocean. A movement around Victor Hugo later was successful in saving and restoring the architectural heritage of the abbey. The prison was closed down in 1863 and Mont-Saint-Michel was declared are national monument in 1874. This linkage was used to transport supplies for the prisoners to the abbey. The mechanism worked like a sleigh on the outer wall of the foundation.
The Saint-Etienne Chapel was constructed in the second half of the 12th century
The Knight Room (Scriptorium) is situated below the cloister. Here the monks of the abbey copied of wrote precious handwritings.
Der Rittersaal (Scriptorium) befindet sich unter dem Kreuzgang. Hier arbeiteten die Mönche der Abtei an wertvollen Handschriften.
View on the west front of the so called Merveille. It is a composition of six large halls divided over three floors, built between 1204 and 1228. The cloister is on the third floor. Below lies the scriptorium. More information can be found under: http://www.abbayedumontsaintmichel.net
Alleyway in the Old Town of Mont Saint Michel. Unfortunately the weather conditions were catastrophic on that day.
Alleyway in the Old Town of Mont Saint Michel. Unfortunately the weather conditions were catastrophic on that day.
The parking space and the dam in front of the city walls will be pulled down to ensure that the tide can flow again freely around Mont Saint Michel.
Mont Saint Michael is not only an abbey but also a small town with about 50 citizens. It was founded in 708 and lived on pilgrims during the mediaeval times and nowadays on tourists visiting the mountain.
City wall of Mont Saint Michel
 
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