The abbey of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy is a medieval active monastery, as well as a fortress on the island of the same name. It is located in the north-west of France, in the vast Gulf of Saint-Michel, famous for tidal waves, rare in height for Europe, reaching 14 meters.
More than two million tourists annually come to admire the medieval monastery-fortress, which makes Mont-Saint-Michel the second most popular tourist attraction (after the Eiffel Tower) in France.
Castle of Mont Saint-Michel: opening hours and ticket prices in 2019
Opening hours:
- May 2 - August 31: from 9:00 to 19:00,
- January 2 - April 30: from 9:30 to 18:00,
- September 1 - December 31: from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm.
The entrance closes an hour earlier.
Ticket prices:
- adult - 10 euros,
- for non-EU residents between the ages of 18 and 25 - 8 euros,
- for children (up to 18 years old), disabled people with an accompaniment, EU residents aged 18 to 25 years - free.
The audio guide costs 3 euros.
The tidal island of Mont Saint Michel
The Mont Saint-Michel cliff in Normandy is a granite monolith 80 meters high with a rounded foot, standing at the mouth of the Couesnon River. The area of the rocky island is 7 hectares.
With an interval of 24 hours and 50 minutes, the ebb and flow of the gulf occur, the most powerful in Europe. Water at low tide leaves the island for 18 kilometers and floods the coast at high tide for 20 kilometers.
After low tide, the mountain can be walked around, but you should not go far from the foot - there is a chance to wander into quicksand... Mont Saint-Michel becomes a full-fledged island only a few times a year, with the onset of large tides.
Previously, a dam led to the island, on the site of which there is now a bridge. It was decided to remove the artificial embankment due to the ambiguous environmental situation: due to the dam around the island, the a large number of sand, thereby gradually connecting the island with the mainland. After the dam was liquidated river waters began to wash the island from both sides, preventing the accumulation of sandy sediments.
The climate in the Bay of Saint-Michel is temperate maritime: with cool summers and mild, but rainy winters. In general, the weather here is the same as in the whole of Normandy, but it has its own peculiarities, for example, during winter low tides, wet sea sand causes frequent fogs, and in summer, due to high humidity, it becomes extremely stuffy.
History and architecture
Legend has it that the first shrine on this site was built in 807 by Saint Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, after the Archangel Michael appeared to him. By the way, Mont-Saint-Michel is translated as - Mount St. Michael.
The construction of the abbey began with the arrival in 966 of Benedictine monks, invited by the Duke of Normandy Richard I, to replace the community of canons who had been expelled by him, who had occupied the mountain since the 8th century. The monastery soon became an important religious center, attracting pilgrims from all over Europe.
Mont Saint-Michel has repeatedly suffered from fires and was sieged, after which it was reconstructed and overgrown with new extensions, each time acquiring a new look. Centuries later, the abbey has managed to bring to our days not only the works of several generations of builders, but also an important part of the history of France.
Interesting fact The castle of Mont Saint-Michel is often mentioned in the literature and serves as a background for many films and clips, and in Peter Jackson's film trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" even served as a prototype for the fortress of Minas Tirith.
Abbey structure
The main feature of the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is the multi-level development. For more than 500 years, medieval architects managed to create a unique architectural ensemble encircling a huge granite cliff. Three levels can be clearly distinguished:
- Upper level, including the Church of St. Michael, a monastery gallery, a refectory, an observation deck overlooking the bay, the Cancale rock and the Chause archipelago, where granite was mined for the abbey.
- Average level with a guest hall, a monastic ossuary (a hall with the remains of the deceased), a Saint-Etienne chapel, a covered walking gallery, a knight's hall and a crypt of large columns supporting the Gothic choir of the monastery church.
- Lower level, where the guardroom, the Gran Degre staircase and the almshouse are located.
Romanesque buildings of the monastery
The first buildings on Mont Saint-Michel were crypts (vaulted semi-underground rooms), which became a kind of foundation for the future central building of the monastery - the Church of St. Michael. Later, construction began on the nave of the new church and chambers for the monks.
The most significant changes took place in the second half of the 12th century, during the reign of Abbot Robert de Torigny. A library with an impressive collection of manuscripts has been created, the last Romanesque buildings and a large staircase leading to the new entrance to the abbey have been completed.
Monastic and castle architecture those times was called Romanesque (from Latin romanus - Roman). It is characterized by rounded arches, thick walls and massive vaults.
After the death of Torigny, the first difficulties fell on the abbey - a siege and a great fire, as a result of which the northern side of the monastery complex was severely damaged. In the future, the abbey underwent many more tests and was rebuilt several times, gradually acquiring a modern look.
Complex "Miracle"
In the 13th century, the construction of the first Gothic buildings began, the so-called ensemble of buildings La Merveille, literally "miracle". For 17 years, the workers managed to build everything necessary for monastic life, including refectories for monks and pilgrims, a kitchen, cellars, a monastery courtyard with an inner gallery, and a hall where monks worked on rewriting and compiling books, called knightly.
They did not forget about the previously destroyed northern wall, strengthening it with the help of stone stiffeners - buttresses. The construction of the new wall turned out to be successful, not only from a practical point of view, but also from an aesthetic one. Victor Hugo even called it the most beautiful wall in Europe.
Further destiny
After the French Revolution, the monastic brethren left the monastery, and a prison was opened within the walls of the monastery, calling it Mont Libre (Liberty Mountain). The prison continued its work until 1863.
At the end of the 19th century, the last significant reconstruction of the Church of St. Michael was completed and a dam was erected connecting the island with the mainland.
In 1966, the monks returned to the monastery. Today in Mont Saint-Michel they are holding services again.
In 1979, the unique natural and historical site was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Church of st michael
The main attraction of the island is the Church of St. Michael, which combines architectural elements in the Romanesque and Gothic style. Before her, there was a small pre-Romanesque sanctuary on the island - Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, built in the Carolingian era.
Construction began in 1022 with funds from Richard II, Duke of Normandy. However, the implementation of the project was hampered by the difficult terrain and small size of the granite site (no more than 70 meters at the widest point). Then, as the basis for the future temple, several crypts were built around the top of the rock, and the already existing Notre-Dame-sous-Terre church was used. Later, a transept (transverse nave) was erected, the cross of which rested directly on the mountain.
All subsequent years, the church was completed and rebuilt, both in connection with the danger of collapse, and at the behest of the new abbots. So by 1521 it was rebuilt in the then modern style of "flaming Gothic", while preserving the Romanesque transept.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the bell tower and transept were redesigned, a neo-Gothic spire was added, with a gilded figure of the Archangel Michael.
The old city of Mont Saint-Michel
In addition to the monastery buildings, there is a functioning settlement on the island, with a city hall, shops, a parish church, a cemetery and winding old streets with half-timbered houses. There are 50 permanent residents throughout the city, mainly employed in the service sector.
The main street - Grande Rue - is occupied by dense rows of houses from the 15th-16th centuries, with bars, cafes, eateries, souvenir shops and museums. The street leads to the main attraction of the island - the Church of St. Michael. In addition to Grand Rue, there are many other streets in the city, some of which do not even have names. They are always quiet and not crowded, since most of the excursions do not affect them.
Walk through the castle on Google panoramas
How to get to the abbey of Mont Saint Michel in France
The medieval monastery is located 300 kilometers west of Paris. There are several ways to overcome this distance, more details about each of them below.
By car
Fastest and comfortable way- rent a car and drive on your own. The ride will take about 4 hours in total. Optimal route next: from Paris on the A13 to Caen, then take the E401 to Avranches and via Pontorson on the D976 to the parking lot at Saint-Michel. There is a toll on the A13 motorway, as is the parking lot at the abbey.
The route from Charles de Gaulle airport to the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel on the A13 motorway - Google Maps
Local taxi services: Alpha Taxis, Taxi G7, LeCab, Mob1Taxi.
By bus
Most cheap way get to Mont Saint-Michel - by bus. Direct flights from Paris to the abbey are provided by Flixbus. Transport departs every weekend early in the morning. The duration of the trip is approximately 5 hours. You can view the schedule and book a ticket on the carrier's website.
By train from Paris
On weekdays the best option will sit on high-speed train TGV. From the Gare Montparnasse station, you can take it to Rennes or Dol de Bretagne, and then change to a local bus to the abbey. A single train and bus ticket can be bought on the official SNCF website. The duration of the trip is comparable to the bus trip - about 5 hours.
The path from the parking lot to the abbey
Car park, where also arriving tourist buses, is located three kilometers from the abbey. From 7:30 am to 00:00 am, electric buses run between the attraction and the parking lot, with an interval of a couple of minutes. They get to their destination in about 10 minutes. Travel is free.
There is also a more exotic option - a horse-drawn carriage with a carriage. A one-way ticket will cost 5 euros. Travel time ~ 25 minutes.
Those who want to feel like a real pilgrim can walk, the road in this case will take about 35 minutes.
video
The castle, or rather the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, is one of the most beautiful, unusual and unique buildings not only in France, but also in the world. According to statistics, in terms of popularity among tourist sites, this place is on a par with Eiffel tower which is truly impressive.
In the north-west of the province of Normandy, among silt and sand, rises this fortress, which occupies the entire island. He is the only inhabited, of the three located in the Bay of Saint-Michel. The island rises to a height of about 79 m and is only 1 km in diameter.
The two provinces of Brittany and Normandy have not been able to divide the fortified island for many centuries. The border is the Cuenon River, which flows at the base of the fortress. Distance to Paris 285 km. In 1874, the island was given the status of a historical monument.
Since 1979 it has been under the protection of UNESCO.
The uniqueness of the fortified island lies in its location. Twice a lunar day (24 hours 50 minutes) in the bay there are ebb and flow, the strongest on the European coast and the second in the world. This falls on the days of the spring and autumn equinox, as well as on the 2nd or 3rd day after the new full moon.
Water leaves at a distance of up to 18 km and spills into depths of up to 20 km. The duration of this natural phenomenon in winter can occur for 8 hours, in summer an hour longer. The maximum water speed is 6 km / h.
There are several ways to get to the castle island. On weekends, Flixbus buses leave early in the morning from the La Defense quarter of Paris, and return late in the evening. Travel time is 5 hours, the cost of a round-trip ticket is about 50 €.
On weekdays, a high-speed train leaves from Montparnasse train station to Rennes. Then, you need to change to the local Keolys bus. It is possible to purchase a combined train-bus ticket. One way price about 50 €.
If you travel by car, you will have to leave the car 12 km away in the village in a parking lot for 11.5 € per day, then cover the remaining distance by bus for free.
The bus itself is unusual - its walls are upholstered with wooden slats. The last 300 m you need to walk on foot, during the Middle Ages it was done in a carriage. Now such a trip by horse-drawn transport will cost 5.3 € per person.
Climatic conditions, the best time to travel
When choosing the time to travel to the island castle, you need to focus on the weather forecast for the north of France, the province of Normandy. Consider the special location close to the ocean. The wind here freely walks, which is especially felt on the observation platforms.
Due to the constantly wet sand around, fog is often in winter, and high humidity in summer combined with the scorching rays of the sun. Of course, before walking near the mountain, you need to know the tide schedule. After all, water comes quickly, at the speed of a running person, and sometimes it can reach 40 km / hour.
Local guides will tell you that in the old days, the wave absorbed inattentive wanderers and even entire crews. The most favorable time to visit this "eighth wonder of the world", as the French call it, is spring and autumn. There are a lot of tourists here in summer.
Transport
Every day, at intervals of several minutes, a bus runs between the island and the mainland. The first flight is at 7.30 am, the last one is at midnight. Electric buses have an unusual design: the driver's cab is located at the front and rear. They were specially designed for Mont Saint Michel. Travel is free, travel time is 12 minutes.
There is a very interesting one in Mont Saint-Michel. sightseeing bus... Its peculiarity is that it is two-sided! There is also an alternative transport: a wagon pulled by a pair of Norman heavy trucks. Capacity 24 people, price 5 €.
History reference
Mont Saint-Michel (France) was originally built as a monastery. An unusual phenomenon of that time: all French castles were erected for protection, in the form of defensive outposts. According to the legend, in 708 the Archangel Michael appeared to Bishop Aubert of Avranches and ordered to build a temple on the Grave Hill (here the first Christian hermits lived and died).
The bishop, thinking that he had misinterpreted the vision, ignored it the first time and the second. Finally, for the third time, when the archangel burned a hole in Aubert's head, he decided to start construction.
According to the vision, it was at the site of the granite ledge that the meeting of two opposing forces took place: good and evil. The forces of light won, it was in honor of this victory that a monastery was built. For 2 centuries, the island has become a place of pilgrimage.
Concerned about the popularity of the canons, the Duke of Normandy Richard I replaced the local monks with Benedictines in 966. They were good builders. A small settlement was built for the pilgrims. A temple with adjacent buildings was erected on the top of the hill. 
Today, only one wall has survived from the original structure, and the skull of Bishop Aubert is in the Avranches Basilica. In 1204, the French captured Normandy and burned down the monastery. To make amends, the French king decides to donate a huge sum for the restoration of the monastery.
In the northern part of the island, the creation of the La Merveille complex has begun, which means a miracle. Construction work lasted 17 years. In such an incredibly short time, a masterpiece of architecture, recognized as an example of medieval Gothic, appeared.
By the 13th century, several hundred Benedictine monks lived within the walls of the abbey. During the Hundred Years War, the abbey enjoyed an independent status and was protected by the free knights. They successfully defended their home. Most of the west of France was then captured by the British. To this day, a list of free knights, defenders of the fortress, has been preserved on a stone slab.
The decline of the abbey's power began already during the Hundred Years War. At the end of the 16th century, only 13 monks remained. In the 18th century, the monastery fell into decay and was closed during the French Revolution. Until 1863, the abbey building was used as a prison. Its liquidation was announced by Napoleon III, and the monastery received the status of a historical monument. 
The Abbey Church has been repeatedly struck by lightning and fires. To protect against a natural phenomenon, a 6-meter lightning rod in the form of a spire was installed in 1897. Today it is decorated with a decorative figure of Michael the Archangel with a sword. Over the years of its existence, the abbey church was completely burned down and rebuilt again. In 1966, the monks returned to the abbey.
The main stages in the history of the island - the abbey:
| Event | Time (century, year) |
| The emergence of a settlement | 708 year |
| Abbey building | XI - XV century |
| The dam connecting the island with the mainland | 1879 year |
| Historical monument status | Since 1874 |
| UNESCO listed as a World Heritage of Humanity | 1979 year |
Acquaintance with the monastery, sights
The entrance to the walled city is free. After passing through the Royal Gate, then, along the only street in the city of Grande Rue, there is an ascent along cobbled stone streets up to the abbey church.
Among the locals, this path is called the "outdoor great ascent". After all, the width of the street is only 2 m, the side streets are very narrow, you even have to move sideways. How many mysteries these ancient buildings keep ... Along the way, there are many shops and restaurants. Previously, these were the houses of the abbots. 
The urban population, together with the mayor, is no more than 30 people. All of them work in the service sector, have small farmland. In the 19th century, as a result of reclamation work, land was freed for agricultural work. The meat of the lambs raised here has a special taste and has been awarded the AOC quality mark. This is due to the grass irrigated with seawater.
So, further along the way is the Church of Jeanne D'Arc. But what does this Maid of Orleans have to do with the abbey? Indeed, at the time of her execution in 1431, Mont Saint Michel did not belong to the territory of France. It was a feudal independent city. 
There are 4 museums on the territory of the castle:
Walking along the narrow stone labyrinth besides shops, a post office building is encountered on the way. This is a great opportunity to send a postcard from the abbey to your friends or yourself.
At the end of the main street, steep steps lead to the upper tiers of the complex. This circumstance should be taken into account, since not everyone will be able to overcome such a rise. In front of him is the church of St. Petra with a cemetery.
Guided tour of the abbey
Most of the island, 55,000 sq m, is occupied by a Benedictine abbey, a unique and best example of French medieval architecture. The medieval craftsmen managed to “wrap around” the granite cliff with stone buildings.
The structure of the church, consisting of two 3-storey buildings, is held on a platform 80 m long. The skill of the calculations of the architects and builders of that time is striking. This allows us to call San Michel a miracle of architects. A service is held daily in the church, admission is free 
A visit to the upper tier, where religious sites are concentrated, is paid. Price for adults 10 €, children - free. La Merveille Church has three floors. The guardroom is the fortified entrance to the abbey. The complex includes a cloister (courtyard), a guest room and a refectory.
The courtyard now looks blooming, with perimeter arches. Initially, there was just a stone sack, which served as a place for the prisoners to walk. There were no stone arches around the perimeter. This is how the cloister became at the beginning of the 20th century, and the garden appeared in 1965.
Just behind the cloister is the refectory or refectory. The floor was tiled in 1968 and the bas-reliefs on the walls appeared in 1991. In the guest room, the abbot received guests. It contains two large fireplaces for cooking and heating food. 
Behind the guest room, through the gallery, visitors enter the former ossuary - the place where the bones of the dead are kept extracted from the graves. There is a huge wooden wheel installed in 1820 to lift food for prisoners and guards. Now it is a copy of the medieval one. The wheel was rotated by 2 horses.
Mont Saint-Michel (France) has preserved to this day only some fragments of the internal interiors of the abbey, dating from the XII-XV centuries, the main part of the building belongs to the period late XIX early XX centuries. The organ in the temple was installed in 1965.
The abbey complex houses a strip-hall - a library with manuscripts recognized as part of the world cultural heritage. The upper terrace offers a magnificent view of the surroundings, the bay.
Until 2015, there was an embankment dam connecting the monastery with the land. The parking was located directly under the cliff and was free. Under the pretext of a worsening environmental situation, it was decided to move the parking lot away from the island, demolish the dam and build a bridge.
Local kitchen
The city has restaurants and cafes where you can have a tasty snack at reasonable prices. There are no fine French restaurants here. 
All dining establishments are located on Grande Rue.
Among the local dishes, seafood is especially popular, especially the meat of local lambs.
Also, guests are offered a signature omelette in a royal style "Mama Poulard", which is cooked over an open fire, buckwheat pancakes.
Service is fast everywhere, as the tourist flow at any time of the year is huge. The average bill is 12-25 €, a dinner with alcohol will cost 80-120 €. Sandwiches and takeaways cost 3-4 €.
Restaurants are usually found in hotels. Service in such establishments is not in a hurry, but it does not bother visitors.
Indeed, through the panoramic windows of restaurants, you can watch the ebb and flow or just enjoy the landscape.
Where can I stay
For travelers, there is a choice: stay in a hotel outside the fortress walls or nearby in the town of La Caserne. All hotels in the city are located on the main street. Despite the large number of hotels on the island, there are still not enough of them. Accommodation must be booked in advance.
Mont Saint Michel (France) offers hotels located on the ground floors of buildings from the 15th to 16th centuries. The most popular is the La Mare Poulard 3 * hotel. It is located in the center of the city and offers excellent views of the bay, the abbey or ancient buildings. The local restaurant offers the famous scrambled eggs, while the grocery store offers groceries. 
The hotel has free Wi-Fi, parking and family rooms. Hiking and cycling excursions can be organized. The cost of a double room in June 2019 is about 300 €.
Auberge Saint Pierre is considered the best hotel, according to tourists. It is located at the very top of the mountain in a 14th century half-timbered mansion. The hotel boasts elegant French interiors. There are duplex rooms. Breakfast " Buffet», Wi-Fi. The price of the room is about 200 €. On the territory of the castle there are only 9 hotels 2-4 stars, there is a camping, open from February 15 to November 11.
At La Caserne hotel rooms more comfortable, convenient parking and a vibrant nightlife. The price of a room in a 2 * hotel is from 55 €. There are no hostels in the vicinity, you can stay at the auberges de jeunesse - a youth hostel.
There may be age restrictions, for example, up to 30 years. You can rent a room in a private house, perhaps conversations with local residents will help you learn a lot more about the walled island. 
There are large hotels and motels along the D-976 road closest to the island. There is a railway station 6 km from the island in the town of Pontorson, and buses leave regularly to the fortress. For example, in the Montgomery hotel in a historic building and in Bretagne there are good restaurants.
Shopping
All shops and souvenir shops are located on the lower tier of the main street. Tourists take with them ceramics, porcelain and copper products. Tablecloths, alabaster figurines of chimeras, and sets of knightly armor at a huge price are in great demand.
The abbey sells numerous booklets, gift books and travel guides. The prices are quite affordable. You can bring butter cookies "from Mother Poulard", Brittany queen-aman pies and salty caramel.
The shop "Aux 3 Croissants" sells traditional for Brittany and Normandy carpets and woven products, jewelry, porcelain.
Excursion programs
A ticket purchased to visit the abbey entitles you to join one of the guided tours, which are conducted in several languages. Duration 45-60 minutes. The excursion schedule is posted at the entrance to the complex. In July and August, the abbey is open for evening visits.
From 7.00 to 21.00 you can walk in the gardens every day. When video and music equipment is installed in the abbey, you can stay on the territory until 24.00. Visiting from 21.00, price for adults 10 €, from 13 to 24 years old - 7 €.
One of the most unusual islands in the world, Mont Saint-Michel conquers with its uniqueness, mystery, antiquity. France is proud of the abbey no less than the famous Eiffel Tower.
Article formatting: Vladimir the Great
Video about Mont Saint-Michel
Documentary About Mont Saint Michel:
About the significance of this place for the French, Victor Hugo wrote: "Mont Saint Michel is for France the same as the pyramids for Egypt." We are traveling with Gennady.
The border between the French provinces of Normandy and Brittany, off the coast of the English Channel, runs along the riverbed of the Couenon River. Here, at the confluence of the river with the Gulf of Saint Michel, on a granite island is located iconic place for the French - Mont St. Michel, which translates as: - Mount St. Michael.
It is difficult to talk about the island-abbey-fortress of Mont Saint Michel. The number of different events, stories and legends associated with it is enormous. It seems to me that it is not possible to mention everything and keep within a reasonable size. I’m sure I’ll miss something interesting, or I don’t know. This place is so popular that someone has always been there. Therefore, I ask you to supplement my article with stories, impressions, photographs.
The characteristic silhouette of the abbey among the low, flat coastline appears on the horizon several tens of kilometers away, and we drove for about an hour until we reached the parking lot near it.
This castle-abbey is often rightly called the Eighth Wonder of the World. Everything is wonderful here: and amazing natural phenomena, and its involvement in significant historical events for Europe, and remarkable buildings, and the very atmosphere of an impregnable fortress located on a small rocky island. Undoubtedly Mont Saint Michel has influenced the architecture of the Castle of Sleeping Beauty at Disneyland Paris and became the prototype of the fortress of Minas Tirith in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and a film based on it.
In the days of the ancient Romans, Mont Saint Michel was not yet an island. The gloomy uninhabited rock was then called the Grave Mountain. Perhaps the Celts used this place for their burials. Druids came here to worship the setting sun, and the Romans subsequently preserved this ritual for a long time. According to one of the legends, it was on Mount Grave that Julius Caesar was secretly buried in a golden coffin, in golden sandals.
There are several versions of the origin of the island of Mont Saint Michel. The most plausible, claims that at the beginning of the 5th century, after a strong storm in this part of the English Channel changed coastline... Part of the coast sank, coastal meadows and forests disappeared under water and then were covered with sand, and two rocky hills became islands. The largest among them, Mont Tomb (French for "Grave Hill"), and now bears the name of Mont Saint Michel. The little one is named Tombelin (“Little Grave”).
According to another version, both rocks were dragged into the sea by giants - Gargantua's parents. Grangousier, his father, as is customary among men, carried the heaviest of stones - Mont Tomb, and Gargamelle, Gargantua's mother, dragged Tombelin. But the giants got tired and threw these stones near the coast. Gargantua himself was also noted here in land management - through his efforts, the Couenon River appeared. How - it's easy to guess.
Everyone chooses which version to believe, but the fact remains - two islands rise in the Gulf of Saint Michel, and the tides in this place are one of the highest in the entire World Ocean. Twice a year, when the solar and lunar tides add up, the total tide height can reach ~ 14 meters. Due to the low and gentle shores, the sea near the abbey at this time retreats / advances by 15-20 kilometers, exposing the bottom - quicksand of clay-limestone origin. And so twice a day. It is easy to calculate that the speed with which the sea water runs up corresponds to the speed of a frisky pedestrian, and because of the uneven relief, in some places it can reach the speed of a galloping horse. Not surprisingly, in the long history of this place, not everyone has managed to escape the tide.
The next two photos were taken by me from the same place of the abbey during not the strongest high and low tide. I took this photo at high tide.
and this is when the low tide began and was still going on ...
There are legends about tides catching up with the rider, stories about carts disappearing without a trace along with horses in huge swells, descriptions of the terrible death of travelers dragged into wet sand. Low tide in the bay always begins somehow unexpectedly: until recently, everywhere, wherever you look, a whitish-muddy sea splashed, as sand of the same color appeared everywhere, by the cunning of which almost all French classics were "hypnotized" - from Hugo to Maupassant. This sand seems quite harmless until you descend on its treacherously unstable surface, all covered in puddles from recently receded water.
Unfortunately, we did not find the time of the highest tide, but for the sake of completeness, I will insert here a photo from the Internet - the island of Mont Saint Michel during the high tide.
In the 70s of the XIX century, due to the increased number of visitors to the abbey, the island was connected to the shore by a dam. However, the dam disturbed the natural circulation of the waters in the bay and it began to be filled with sand and silt to such an extent that at the end of the 20th century the island itself was fully functional only during the highest tides twice a year. Therefore, in the early 2000s, the dam was destroyed and a bridge was built over which you can now drive to the gates of the abbey itself, but only on public transport.
Today's appearance of the mountain is the result of repeated redevelopment, destruction, revelry of the elements, fires, human delusions and deeds. This religious building also has great secular significance. Here they not only prayed, but also fought and plotted conspiracies.
The history of the abbey of Mont Saint Michel began with a chapel, which was erected on a granite rock-island in 708 by the bishop of Avranches Saint-Aubert. One of the legends tells that the archangel Michael appeared to the archbishop in a dream and ordered to build a chapel on the island. The bishop thought what he had imagined and decided to wait. The Archangel appeared again with the same order, but the bishop was difficult to "lift" and again disobeyed. For the third time, the archangel literally hammered into the bishop the idea of the need to build a chapel, he pushed a hole in the bishop's head, which finally was able to convince him to start building the church - this is how the Basilica of St. Michael appeared. It is certainly difficult to believe in this, but evidence of this event has been preserved. In Avanche, where the relics of Saint Obert are located, there is indeed a dent on his skull.
In the middle of the 10th century, Benedictine monks, with the permission of the Pope, founded an abbey here and, with the money of the Duke of Normandy, erected a monastery. Soon the rock on the island of Mont Saint Michel became famous place pilgrimage, and its history began to be carefully tracked.
In the next century, a Romanesque church with a monastery appeared on the mountain. The work on the construction of the abbey was not easy and dragged on until the middle of the 12th century. Abbot Robert de Torigny made a tremendous amount of effort and turned the island of Mont Saint Michel into a center of scientific thought. Then the priests began to play a prominent role in the political life of the region.
At the beginning of the 12th century, Abbot Roger II was building a tower on the northern slope, which now includes the Knights' Hall and the Refectory. At this time, the abbey was already one of the pilgrimage centers in Europe. The influence of the monastery is growing. The abbey receives English and French kings, and has been granted several possessions in England.
In 1204, the King of France Philip Augustus captures Normandy. An ally of the French king, Guy de Tour, the settlement near the monastery was seized and burned, as a result of which the monastery itself was seriously damaged by fire. Philip Augustus, in order to atone for his guilt, donates a huge amount to the abbey, and also finances the construction of a structure on the northern slope, later called the Miracle. In 1128, the construction of the Miracle was completed. Until the XIV century, the architecture of the monastery did not change. Successive abbots gradually built up the island. In this unique place, there are buildings of different styles and eras, which gives the beauty of the architecture.
In 1356 the British made an attempt to take the monastery, but the siege was unsuccessful. In 1386, the abbot of the monastery Pierre Roy, for security purposes, significantly strengthens the entrance to the monastery, and also erects three towers. Later, Abbot Robbert Jolivet, who replaced Roy, erects fortified walls at the foot of the monastery.
During the Hundred Years War in 1424, the British again besieged the monastery. For ten years, suffering huge losses, they tried in vain to get outside the castle walls. But the French defended the abbey. The British did not manage to take the island, but they completely destroyed the town that had formed over the past centuries at the base of the monastery. In 1450, the British are defeated at the Battle of Formigny and driven from Normandy.
But the monastery, which withstood the wars of religion, turned out to be defenseless against the revolutionaries, and in 1792 the troops drove out the last monks, and the territory was turned into a prison, which is popularly called the “provincial Bastille”.
With the arrival of Napoleon III, Mont Saint Michel regains its former glory, the prison is abolished, and the monastery is declared national treasure France. Work begins to restore it. The middle of the 20th century is marked by the return of the monks to the rocky island. In 1979, the abbey was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The island is currently inhabited. In addition to Benedictine monks, about 70 people live on it, there is even its own city hall, police, hospital, hotel. The inhabitants of the island mainly serve tourists.
Due to the large number of visitors, travel to the island is limited nowadays. You cannot cross this bridge privately. The overwhelming majority of those who come on excursions leave their buses in the village, on the coast and drive to the gates of Mont Saint Michel on free shuttles or just walk along the bridge. Fortunately, walk only about a kilometer and all the time with a view of the castle.
Those who, like us, come by their own power, by car, leave their cars even further - at the parking lot about 3 kilometers away, and in the same way, they take a shuttle to the gates of the monastery.
Basically, there are one-day bus excursions to Mont Saint Michel from Paris. It is possible and "unorganized" to turn around from there in one day by train / bus. However, if you have already arrived here, it is better to stay overnight. In terms of the number of visitors, Mont Saint Michel ranks second in all of France after Paris. Up to 3.5 million tourists a year! And many of them stay in local hotels along the coast. But even outside the walls of the fortress there are several hotels, in houses of the XV-XVI centuries with a limited number of rooms. Rooms there, as a rule, need to be booked strongly in advance. Or be very lucky. We were lucky! Even at the beginning of summer, we, according to best recommendations tripadvisor, booked a place in a hotel on the coast, near the beginning of the bridge to the island, so that you can walk to the abbey. Just for the sake of order, sometimes they looked - how things were going outside the walls. Just a week before our trip, a room was vacated in one of the most famous hotels in Mont Saint Michel - La Mere Poulard.
The list of eminent guests of this hotel with only 27 rooms is quite impressive. Stayed here: Hemingway, Spielberg, Yves Saint Laurent, President Roosevelt, the last emperor of Japan, various kings and queens. Well, now we too, of course. :))
We got a number in which before that in different times lived, the Russian prince Felix Yusupov and the French choreographer Serge Lefar, as evidenced by the plates with autographs on the walls.
However, what surprised us most of all was that the price was cheaper than the room we had to refuse - 130 euros per night. Most likely it was because someone refused at the last moment and we were just lucky. Common price our room on the hotel website - 340 euros per night.
Wandering around the island and the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, we did not leave the feeling that we were walking through a 3D maze. Sometimes, in order to get into a building adjacent to the plan, it was necessary to go up or down to another level and go to the side there. Therefore, the plan of the island-abbey is simply necessary to have before your eyes. You can take a leaflet with a description of the abbey at the entrance, otherwise the monastery will turn into a series of walls and stairs.
On this diagram are marked:
1. Abbey
2. Miracle construction
3. City
4. Sentinel terrace
5. External gate
6. Boulevard gates
7. Royal gate
8. Royal Tower
9. Arcade tower
10. Tower of Freedom
11. Low tower
12. Tower "Buckle"
13. Church of Saint Pierre
14. North Tower
15. Claudine Tower
16. Dam
17. Gabriel Tower
18. Strengthening warehouses
19. Chapel Saint-Aubert
20. Source Saint-Aubert
An overnight stay inside the city walls on the island has a huge plus - in the morning and in the evening the island is empty. Indeed, 3.5 million a year is just under 10,000 people a day. This is how the main street of the town looks like during the normal flow of visitors (the first photo from the Internet).
And so the same place - in the evening, when only those who live inside the walls remain.
And the abbey itself looks especially gothic in the evening hours.
To get to the fortress you need to go through several gates:
External gate
Boulevard gate
and the Royal Gate with a drawbridge
In medieval fortification architecture, the gate was considered a weak point and such an entrance was necessary. Just outside the Entrance Gate, in memory of the 100-year war, this cannon, captured from the British, is installed.
Mont Saint Michel is for the French a symbol of resistance in the 100-year war. For all the time the island was never taken by the British. There was a moment when the abbey was already preparing to surrender, but on occasion 119 French knights were in it, who took over the defense and held it continuously for 10 years, from 1424 to 1434. All Normandy was in the hands of the British and only Mont Saint Michel remained unconquered.
Behind the royal gate begins the main and only street of the fortress - Grand Rue, which crosses the entire town located below, at the base of the cliff. It is full of shops, hotels, souvenir shops, a city hall, a parish church and even a cemetery. The peculiarity of this village is that its houses and fortress walls with towers are built on the sand!
At the very beginning of the Grand Rue, almost at the Royal Gate, our hotel with a world-famous restaurant was located "Mother Pulyar". His story is as follows. In the last quarter of the 19th century, when restoration work began in the abbey, Edouard Corruay settled here, who at that time was the chief architect of Mont Saint Michel. Not a single inn pleased him, and therefore he assigned his cook, Annette Butio, to the innkeeper. Soon she married a certain Viktor Puliar, and in 1888 she opened the Mamasha Pulyar tavern. Despite the fact that delicious dishes were prepared here from a variety of products, omelette... This fact is easy to explain. It prepares quickly and easily. For weary travelers, this is a snack in anticipation of other dishes; for the poor, it is the staple food. And during fasting and abstinence, he is a meal for everyone. The recipe for Mama Poulard's omelet is kept secret. However, the price for this omelet is now not at all humane - 30-35 euros, depending on the filling. Well and from personal experience I note that despite such inflated prices in other restaurants “outside the walls of the fortress”, both lunch and dinner were not a fountain. Not at all in French, which was generally confirmed by subsequent reviews of reviews on Tripadvisor.
Several narrow lanes go up from the main street
In addition to streets and alleys, it is interesting to wander along the walls of the fortress from where you can see the views of the town and the sea bay
Houses in the town of Mont Saint Michel
The powerful walls of the abbey are overgrown with moss and lichen, which makes it seem even more that this fortress-monastery is a creation of nature, and not of man.
Naturally, spending the night inside the fortress in the morning on an excursion to the abbey itself can be reached before the shuttles bring the first tourists from the mainland. Here, by the way, we are faced with the classic "French hospitality". It was raining in the morning and ten minutes before the opening, on the stairs under the awning, a dozen people gathered at the entrance waiting for the start of ticket sales at 9:30. About five minutes before the start, some boss appeared, put everyone out of the canopy into the rain and stretched the ribbon across the stairs, motivating that it was not supposed to and repeating like an incantation in broken English: - This is not possible.
The architecture of Mont Saint Michel, as it were, reflects the medieval European society. On the lower tier is the city, where a class of working commoners and peasants lived. Above, at the middle level, there are buildings intended for the class of defenders - knights and kings. At the top of the mountain there is an abbey where the clergy settled. The abbey is crowned with a high spire with a gilded figure of the Archangel Michael.
Exact copy of the figure from the spire
Guided tours of the abbey begin at a gate protected by a small castle built in 1393 by Abbot Pierre Le Roy. Behind them begins an ascent up a steep staircase, nicknamed the "Abyss"
The Benedictines dreamed that Mont Saint Michel would become a kind of hymn to the glory of the Almighty. However, it was not possible to place a huge cathedral building on the top of the cliff, which could accommodate all the pilgrims. In 1023, construction began on the Romanesque cathedral, completed only by 1520 in the Gothic.
The nave of the church.
Church window
View of the cloister church, bell tower and spire from the cloister (cloister courtyard with gallery) La Mervey. The gaze involuntarily rushes to the sky.
In 1204, Philip Augustus annexed the Duchy of Normandy, which had been under the rule of England since 1066, to the Kingdom of France. Breton soldiers on the French side set fire to Mont Saint Michel. The buildings to the north of the cathedral were destroyed. However, thanks to the generosity of Philip Augustus, buildings were erected in their place in a record 17 years for that time. La Mervey(Miracle).
TO Luatre La Mervey located at the exit of the church, perfect place for prayer and meditation. It, like other structures of La Mervey, was built at the beginning of the XIII century for
Colonnade of the cloister at Mont Saint Michel
From the height of the cloister to the east, the second granite island of the bay, Tomblain, is clearly visible.
The abbot lived in contact with the pilgrims, while the monks took refuge in the monastery. From the east, on the southeastern side of the island, the abbey's apartments, erected in the XIII-XVI centuries, rise. The garrison of the fortress was located directly below them.
The abbot lived in contact with the pilgrims, while the monks took refuge in the monastery. From the east, on the southeastern side of the island, rise the abbey apartments, built in the 13th-16th centuries. The garrison of the fortress was located directly below them.
During the French Revolution, when the abbey served as a prison, the Miracle building housed a straw hat factory.
The first punishment cells appeared in the abbey in the 12th century. Monks who committed grave crimes and those whom the abbot sent to court were sent here. At the end of the 15th century, by order of King Louis XI, a small part of the abbey was turned into a state prison, "Bastille of the Sea", as it was called. Extremely cramped chambers were erected, where one could neither stand up nor lie down at full height. In addition, the inmates were chained to the wall with a chain that rang with every movement. Also, huge cells with stakes sticking out inward were built, where the person was, in fact, immobilized. As a rule, prisoners died within a year. In the period from 1666 to 1786, 153 prisoners visited this state prison.
In 1793, the revolutionaries announced the closure of the monastery and the transfer of property to the state. Mont Saint Michel, renamed Mont Libre (Mountain of Liberty), turned into a prison (the prison is the Mountain of Liberty, well, quite revolutionary), which existed until 1863. During this time, 14,000 prisoners have visited it. At first they were priests and peasants, opponents of the Revolution. Then - political prisoners and criminals.
In 1820, when there was still a prison in the abbey, a wheel was installed there. With its help, food for the prisoners was lifted upstairs. Similar wheels were used in the Middle Ages for lifting various loads. Such wheels were driven by a horse, which, in fact, lived in the wheel. Sometimes prisoners were also used.
The load was lifted by a chain on such sleds
That moved along stone guides
Now the premises of the prison are connected by stairs to the Hall of the Knights, located on the next tier.
It got its name in honor of the Order of the Knights of St. Michael, founded in 1469 by Louis XI. It was a working room for monks. It is assumed that tapestries were hung in it, dividing the hall into small sections and an isolated passage through which guests entered the church.
The hall was heated with the help of two huge fireplaces.
The guest hall was intended for noble pilgrims, including kings. Here they shared a meal with the abbot.
The monks' meal is a significant event for the entire brethren, therefore the hall where everything takes place was built with technical and aesthetic innovations corresponding to the time. Thick walls support light circular arches. In order not to weaken the wall, the windows are made narrow and deep. During silent meals, a monk read the Holy Scriptures from a pulpit located on the southern partition.
At the Refectory we were finally caught up by the first excursion from the mainland. It turned out to be the Chinese.
For about ten minutes their guide chirped vigorously, and then we managed to catch the last period before the influx of the main wave of tourists.
In the afternoon, when the number of visitors peaked, we got off the island.
and went to neighboring Brittany, to the oyster capital of France, to a town on west bank Gulf of Saint Michel - Cancale.
The Abbey of Mont Saint Michel is the most visited attraction in France after Paris. And if you've ever seen a photograph of him, you probably understand why this is so. It looks just magical and fabulous. It can be seen for several tens of kilometers around. A huge ancient castle on high mountain, surrounded by the sea, which in the morning recedes a few kilometers from the foot of the mountain, and in the evening it quickly returns, which could be more beautiful.
Currently, the island has only a few dozen inhabitants. The total number of visitors to the complex per year is 1.5 - 1.8, and according to some sources - up to 3.5 million people, and about 650 thousand tourists climb to the abbey in July-August.
In this article I will talk about how you can visit this unique historical site, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on your own, how much it will cost and what you can see outside the walls of the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. And how to best plan your visit so that you don't miss anything.
How to get to Mont Saint-Michel
You can take an excursion from Paris and they will do everything for you.
By car
You can rent a car, it is especially beneficial if you are 3-4 people, travel by public transport in this case can cost a pretty penny. The car can be found on the rental car metasearch ... The distance from Paris to Mont Saint-Michel is only 358 km, the journey is no more than 4 hours on the highway, if you wish you can catch it in one day, but to see the ebb and flow it is better to stay overnight.
By public transport
Can be reached by public transport from Paris. To do this, you will have to use three types of transport.
- You need to take the TGV high-speed train to Rennes at Montparnasse train station, travel time 2 hours, website for buying tickets voyages-sncf.com, the site is available in Russian.
- In Rennes, change to regional train next to Pontorson station, travel time 48 minutes, site for buying train tickets www.sncf.com, buying tickets through the website is recommended as it may be cheaper than at the station ticket office. The site is available in English.
- Direct bus to Mont Saint Michel.
The cost of the trip can vary from 35 € to 100 €, it is recommended to buy tickets three months in advance, in this regard, renting a car can be much more relevant.
Parking
Cost: 30 minutes free, up to 2 hours 6-30 €, day 12 €. Two hours is not enough for a thorough inspection of the abbey. There are many parking workers, they professionally fill the parking lot, leaving no empty space. That is, they are definitely ready for a large influx of tourists in Mont Saint Michel.
Previously, parking was right under the very walls of Mont Saint-Michel, now everything is different. The parking is on the mainland.
We arrived in Mont Saint-Michel at 10 o'clock in the morning, 07/14/2013 (the day promised to be hot.
Tourist Information Center
First of all, we went to the tourist information center. There you can watch a short video presentation of the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel in 3D, there are also toilets, brochures and models of the abbey. There we learned that active construction of the bridge is underway, the dam will be demolished. The dam has existed since 1879 and caused waterlogging of the surrounding areas. At the moment (2016) the bridge has already been completed.
There are several hotels right on the island, they are located in old historical buildings. It is better to choose hotels on the mainland in the immediate vicinity of the abbey in order to be able to walk to the sea on foot in the evening and watch the tide.
Right outside the gates of the abbey begins Grand Rue, the main street, in almost every French city has its own Grand Rue, for example in. This street is a continuous row of souvenir shops and cafes, prices bite, but this is the second most visited place in France after Paris, that says it all. The crowd in July was very dense.
Main Street (Grand Rue) 
All buildings of the abbey are on three levels. First you need to climb to the very top to the church, and then, during the descent, inspect different rooms, going out to the observation decks in order to enjoy the views.
There is a shadow on the Main Street, so it is comfortable to walk along it, but the stairs are partially in the sun, it turns out a little hot.
Entrance to the abbey And up a little more.
All here we already enter through the side door into the old church.
Mass at the abbey church of Mont Saint Michel
We were lucky to witness Sunday Mass. For me personally, it was more like a theatrical performance than a religious worship. There were only tourists in the church and almost all of them filmed what was happening on their phones. A rope hung from the crosshair of the church and the monk (see photo below) swung on it for a while and everyone heard the bell ringing, then this monk turned to face us and it turned out that it was a woman.
Mass is going on in the church The breadth of European customs never ceases to amaze me. Then a procession of priests, dressed in smart church clothes, followed, this time they were men. Then the priest ascended to the pulpit and began to preach, at this point we left the Mass. At the entrance to the church, no one puts headscarves on their heads, I mean women, and does not cover their shoulders, i.e. it is no longer a functioning church, but a tourist attraction.
From the church you can immediately get to the uppermost observation deck. To look at the new facade of the church, despite the fact that the facade is new, it has already grown with lichen. The top of the spire is decorated with the figure of St. Michael. The spire was built in the 19th century.
New facade The observation deck offers a stunning view of the sea at low tide.
Tombelin Island view From the church you can immediately get to the cloister. This cloister was built in 1965. It is very beautiful, such a small cozy garden, the clicking of camera shutters rightly announces it.
The cloister On the first, uppermost tier, there is also an extensive refectory with two huge fireplaces. The first tier was given to the monks.
Refectory, we can conclude about the number of people in July 
The huge fireplace of the abbey, through the chimney you can see the sky, there are 2 identical fireplaces nearby The history of the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel dates back to 708. Naturally, not all buildings were built at once. Construction went on for centuries. According to legend, Saint Michael appeared three times to Bishop Aubert, and three times ordered him to build a temple on Mont Tomb. The following bas-relief just illustrates this legend. This bas-relief is installed in the passage to the second tier of the abbey.
Archangel Michael appears to Bishop Auber The second tier is dedicated to the military, knights. Since the Middle Ages were full of robbers who wanted to profit from someone else's expense, the military played a role in protecting the abbey, it was impossible to do without them. In addition to just robbers, the abbey had to resist military invasions. But fortunately, the high cliff was very well guarded by the sea and it was hard to take by storm the mountain, protected by daily ebb and flow.
In the Hall of the Big Columns, there are as many as 10 columns with a diameter of 5 meters. Only four of us managed to hug such a column. These thick columns were built to support the upper tier.
Crypt of the Great Columns The oldest preserved building in the abbey is the crypt of Saint-Martin. It exists in the same form as it was built in 1050.
Crypt Saint-Martin In the Middle Ages, Mont Saint-Michel became the most important place pilgrimage. In X, Benedictine monks settled in the abbey, and down the slope of the mountain, a village began to grow, which in the 16th century reached the foot of the cliff.
Knights' hall with two fireplaces Having remained an impregnable fortress during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is a prime example of military architecture. Its walls and fortifications withstood all British attacks and turned the mountain into a symbolic place of national identity.
During the revolution, the activities of the religious community were terminated and until 1863 the abbey was used as a prison. In 1874, Mont-Saint-Michel was given the status of a historical monument and the abbey became the object of extensive restoration work.
Since then and to this day, restoration work has not stopped, covering all new areas of the abbey. The restoration work allows visitors to meet again with the former splendor of the abbey, which the inhabitants of the Middle Ages imagined as heavenly Jerusalem on earth, the prototype of paradise.
The heat does not in any way interfere with the visit to the abbey. On the rise, narrow streets protect from the scorching sun, while inside the premises there is a coolness maintained by thick ancient walls. Mont Saint Michel is an absolute must see in France and in Normandy in particular. This is a completely unique monument of medieval religious architecture.
In the Middle Ages, numerous pilgrims flocked here, and now there are numerous tourists, in general, little has changed. Mont Saint Michel continues to attract unique beauty and the originality of many thousands of people. Unfortunately, we didn’t walk around on the sand, it was very hot, we didn’t see the night lights, so there is a reason to return.
About the castle
Castle of Mont Saint-Michel (fr.Mont Saint Michel, Mount St. Michael) will easily remind you of a castle from a fairy tale. At the first glance at him, it is impossible not to fall in love. Quite small from afar, but majestic, the castle-fortress is spread out on a small rocky island on the Kusnon River, at an altitude of about 80 meters above sea level. This architectural wonder is located in such a way that Brittany and Normandy are still arguing over who it belongs to? At one time, this castle was an abbey to which pilgrims from all over Medieval Europe trying to find their "heaven on earth". Not one king and not one vassal fought for this castle - the abbey. It withstood a 30 year siege by the British during the Hundred Years War. Having survived not a single internecine war, the castle has retained its majesty and beauty. Here you can see the architecture of "flaming Gothic", intricately intertwined with the Romanesque style. The architecture of the castle is characterized by the simultaneous construction of monastic services at different levels. The largest building is on three levels. The castle was built for more than one century. Everything that can be seen today: the abbey, gates, towers, museums were built during the XI-XV centuries. One of the features of the castle of Mont Saint-Michel is associated with nature and the place where it is located. These are the ebb and flow during the autumn-spring equinox. During this period, the water arrives at an amazing speed and approaches the very walls of the castle city. During this period, the castle becomes an island. Connects the lock and mainland long dam.
After Mont-Saint-Michel fell into decay as a place of pilgrimage, it was a prison for a long time. And only in 1963, the castle passed into the possession of the state and became architectural monument... In 1892-1897, the architect Victor Pedigran rebuilds the complex, which is in significant neglect. This is how a neo-Romanesque bell tower with a neo-Gothic spire appears in the castle. A gilded figurine of the Archangel Michael is erected on the spire of the bell tower. Today, the Mont Saint-Michel castle is not so much the castle itself as a whole complex of buildings, including: the Abbey, the Miracle complex, a huge number of gates and towers. If we talk about Mont Saint-Michel, as about the sights of France, then this is a real tourist mecca... Ahead, Mont Saint-Michel is the most visited, only the Eiffel Tower and Versailles.
History of the castle of Mont Saint-Michel
According to legend, the castle of Mont Saint-Michel, then still an abbey, was founded by order of Archbishop Aubert in the distant 709. The Archangel Michael appeared to the archieposcope three times in a dream and ordered to build a castle on a rock that rises above the sea. But the lazy archbishop, he could not understand everything, what does the angel want from him? Until the Archangel Michael had to click the elder on the forehead with his "flaming finger" and burn a hole in his cassock with his sword. After such evidence, Aubert, according to legend, began construction.
The first stone church on the island was erected by the Normans, then there was a Benedictine monastery. The monastery castle gained momentum and gradually became popular place among the pilgrims. In 1066, the then abbot of the monastery supported William the Conqueror and gave him money to build ships. After the conquest of England, William endows the monastery with vast estates. In the 12th century, Abbot Roger erects a stone tower on the northern slope. Today it houses the Knights' Hall and the Refectory. The architecture of the refectory is similar to the Romanesque naves, and it still has excellent acoustics.
Even the kings of France and England come as pilgrims to the abbey of Mont Saint Michel. During the capture of Normandy by King Philip Augustus of France, the abbey was badly damaged. In redemption, the king donates money to the castle for construction. Thus, by the end of 1228, the Miracle complex was completed in the Castle of Mont Saint-Michel. The complex of buildings is made in the Gothic style, and Victor Hugo called "Miracle" - the most beautiful wall in Europe.
During the century's war, the castle of Mont Saint-Michel is one of the strongest strongholds of the kings of France. Only 119 knights defended the fortress to the last drop of blood. The British were never able to conquer this small castle-fortress. For 30 years they besieged him, but they got away with nothing. On the way of retreat, the city behind the fortress was completely destroyed.
But Mont-Saint-Michel has risen, and by the middle of the 15th century, it is again the main place for pilgrims. In 1470, King Louis XI established here one of the main state awards of France - the Order of St. Michael. This order was founded in honor of the invincible defenders of the fortress. But gradually, due to internecine, religious wars, the monastery gradually falls into decay. From the time of the French Revolution to the Second Empire, this is no longer a castle, but a prison. At one time, up to 300 prisoners were simultaneously held here. The castle of Mont Saint-Michel was popularly nicknamed the "Provincial Bastille", because mostly political prisoners were kept here. Back in the days of Louis XI, stone cages were built here, in which the prisoner could neither sit down, nor stand up, not straighten up, and his every movement, even fleeting, was accompanied by the roar of chains.
In 1863, the prison was abolished, and restoration work began. And since 1979, the castle of Mont Saint-Michel has been a World Heritage Site and protected by UNESCO.
The castle bastions cannot be walked alone, especially on high tide days. The water rises so quickly that there is a risk of not having time to reach the fortress walls. Only 2 times a year, the castle becomes an island, in one day the water level rises by 10 meters! The creator of Notre Dame Cathedral, Victor Hugo, was so stunned by the beauty of this majestic castle that he called it a pyramid in the ocean!
