Basse-Normandie / Manche / Le Mont St-Michel
Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel – The abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel is a unique building. Constrained by the pyramidal shape of the mount surrounded with sandy grounds and quicksand, its medieval builders wrapped the buildings around the 80 m high granite rock.
The long history of this place is thought to date back to 708, when Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, had a sanctuary built on Mont-Tombe (old name) in honour of the Archangel. The mount soon became a major focus of pilgrimage. In the 10th century, the Benedictines settled in the abbey, while a village grew up below its walls. By the 14th century it extended as far as the foot of the rock.
An impregnable stronghold during the Hundred Years' War, Mont-Saint-Michel is also a supreme example of military architecture. Its ramparts and fortifications resisted all English assaults and as a result the Mount became a symbol of national identity.
Following the dissolution of the religious community during the French 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, structural protection work has gone on regularly all over the site. Mont-Saint-Michel has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1979.
author: Boštjan Burger