Mont St Michel

The beautiful region of Normandy France has many sites of interest: the Bayeux Tapestry, Rhone Cathedral, and the D-Day beaches, among others. Of all Normandy’s outstanding sights, Mont St Michel—a UNESCO world heritage site—is the most famous. Its pyramid-like outline has become famous the world over and thousands of tourist flock each year for a Mont St. Michel tour.

Mont St Michel France is situated on a quasi-island on the Normandy coast, near Brittany. At high tide, Mont St Michel is almost entirely separated from the mainland. Only a narrow causeway, constructed in the 1880s preserves a link to the coast. (A bridge to replace the causeway and allow the circulation of tidal waters in the bay is scheduled for completion in 2012.) Beware: the tide comes in quickly—“à la vitesse d'un cheval au galop” (as swiftly as a galloping horse), as Victor Hugo claimed—many tourists have drowned attempting to cross the sandy bay.

Unlike other castles in France, which began as defensive structures (i.e., Carcassonne Castle) or pleasure palaces (i.e., Chenonceau Castle), Mont St Michel had its beginnings as a monastery. There has been a Christian shrine on the site since the 8^th century and the first church was completed in 1144. By the 13^th century, hundreds of Benedictine monks lived in the sturdy structures on Mont St Michel. They held out against the English when most of western France fell during the Hundred Years War.

The graceful Abbey of Mont St Michel that forms the peak of the island’s structures was completed in 1521 after centuries of construction. By the 17^th century, the influence of monasteries was on the wane and by the time of the French Revolution Mont St Michel France was being used as a prison. Like other castles in France, Mont St Michel was falling into disrepair by the late 19^th century. A thorough renovation was begun in 1873. The next few decades saw the construction of the causeway forming a permanent connection to the mainland and the heightening of the abbey’s steeple—it is now over 500 feet above sea level.

Today, Mont St Michel attracts over four million visitors a year, far more than most castles in France, making it one of the most popular things to do on a France vacation. The buildings are is open year-round. Admission is about $10 each ($25 for the four museums), but a guided Mont St. Michel tour is highly recommended (about $10 extra). A Mont St. Michel tour visits several otherwise inaccessible towers and rooms. If your French is up to par, there is a guided Mont St. Michel tour every half hour. English speakers should look for the twice-daily English-language tour (more in high season).

The little town of Mont St Michel France is spread around the bottom of the island outside the religious structures. There are several good hotels and restaurants around the island. There is something peculiarly romantic about spending a night on a rock cut off from the mainland, although the place is somewhat crowded in summertime.

Mont St Michel France has been described as the Merveille de l’Occident (wonder of the Western world). It is easy to see why.