Mont Saint Michel. Everything a tourist needs to know. Mont Saint-Michel Island: the impregnable castle of Mont Saint-Michel

- a famous fortress island located in northern France, on the border with. This is one of the most visited attractions in France, and the island itself, with its historical buildings, is listed as a monument.

The city on a rock surrounded by the sea has existed since 709. And now there are several dozen inhabitants on the island.

Mont Saint-Michel annually attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. In addition to its picturesque location and ancient architecture, Mont Saint-Michel is additionally interesting due to its strong ebb and flow.

You can admire the Abbey of Saint-Michel in Christmas lights from December 14 to January 11 (from 18:00 to midnight). And you can have a snack in one of the.

Weather in Mont Saint-Michel:

Getting to Mont Saint-Michel:

The best and cheapest way to get to Mont Saint-Michel is by car, although be prepared for high parking prices and queues to enter (you can still get from the parking lot to the rock by bus, albeit a free one). By train from Paris you can travel via Pontorson, from where you can continue your journey by bus from the station.

But again, the abbey fell into decay over time and in 1791 the monastery was abandoned, and the island turned into a prison with the ironic name “Mount Libre”, where political prisoners were kept. In 1863, the buildings housed a straw hat factory. 11 years later, the island was declared a historical monument. In 1966, the monks returned here, and in 1979 the entire island, along with the abbey and the bay, was included in.

City of Saint Michel

Down at the foot of the cliff, on either side of the only road to the abbey - Grand Rue- is a small town dating back to the first half of the 13th century. About 30 people even live here permanently. In addition to working in the tourist service sector, they are also engaged in rural work: after work on draining the surrounding lands, they are breeding sheep, and local animals are famous for their especially tasty meat, which is associated with their diet in the saline meadows.

Below, among the residential buildings, is the parish church of St. Peter, near the walls of which there is a large cemetery.

Fortifications of Saint Michel

Already the initial fortifications around the island of Saint-Michel made it possible to withstand the siege of 1091. In the 14th century, a decision was made to build new, more serious fortress walls: in 1311, a wall and a outpost were built at the foot of the mountain. With the construction of a large cistern for storing fresh water, it was already possible to withstand a long siege. So in 1425, even after blowing up part of the fortifications of Saint-Michel, the besiegers were unable to capture the fortress.

During the Hundred Years' War (1337 - 1453), the fortress garrison consisted of 119 knights, and the first bastions were built at that time. In 1434, the British tried unsuccessfully to capture Mont Saint-Michel using artillery. The remaining bombards are now displayed in front of the second city gate. Remaining an impregnable fortress during the Hundred Years' War, the Mountain became a symbolic place of national identity.

The fortifications of Mont Saint-Michel consist of two rings: the outer ring protects the city, the inner ring, located at the foot of the abbey, guards the monastery itself.

Abbey of Mont Saint Michel

The Abbey of Saint-Michel is a unique architectural monument of its kind: the plan of its construction cannot be compared with any other monastery. Taking into account the pyramidal shape of the Mountain, medieval craftsmen “wound” buildings around the granite cliff. The monastery church, located at the very top, stands on crypts that form a platform that can withstand the weight of the 80-meter-long church.

Wonderful building, often referred to as the main decoration of the entire architectural ensemble of the Mont Saint-Michel Abbey, is the embodiment of the architectural excellence of the 13th century builders, who managed to ensure that two three-story buildings of the building are held on the side of the cliff. This could only be accomplished with the help of accurate calculations. A narrow aisle (the side of the nave of the building), attached to the wine storage on the ground floor, serves as buttresses (supports). This is followed by the overlapping supports of the first two levels of the building on the west side. Closer to the top of the cliff, the structures become increasingly lighter. From the outside the building is supported by powerful buttresses.

The harsh rules of monastic life also influenced the layout and architecture of buildings. Charter of St. Benedict, according to whom the monks of the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel lived, ordered them to devote their day to prayer and work. The rooms were planned taking into account these types of activities and respecting the principle of monastic privacy, i.e. with space reserved for monks only. As a result, rooms for receiving the laity were equipped on the first and second floors of the Miracle Building.

Cult of St. Mikhail

Saint Michael, the commander of the heavenly army, played an important role in Christianity in the Middle Ages. He appears in the Apocalypse (book of the New Testament): he fights and defeats the dragon, which symbolizes the demon. For a medieval person who lived in anticipation and fear of the punishment of the Almighty, Archangel Michael is a saint accompanying the souls of the departed, weighing them on the scales on the day of the Last Judgment.

Since the 4th century, the cult of St. Michael spread widely in the East, appearing in the West at the end of the 5th century, when the first temple in his honor was built in 492 at Monte Gargano (in Italy). By the year one thousand, the number of churches dedicated to this archangel had greatly increased throughout Europe. They were often built on hilltops or spurs.

At the end of the Hundred Years' War, the veneration of St. Michael took on a special scale, which was greatly facilitated by the heroic resistance of the Mont Saint-Michel Abbey. The second wave of popularity of the cult of St. Michaelmas came during the period of the Counter-Reformation: in the eyes of the church, only a militant angel could ensure the fight against the Protestant heresy.

In Christian iconography, St. Michael is often depicted with a sword and scales. He began to be considered the patron of knights and all guilds associated with weapons and scales.

The statue, hovering above the bell tower of the Mont Saint-Michel Abbey, embodies all the traditional attributes inherent in the Archangel Michael. It was completed in 1897 by the sculptor Emmanuel Fremier, commissioned by the architect Victor Petigrand, who wished to crown a new 32-meter spire with it. In 1987, the statue of St. Mikhail was restored.

Mont Saint-Michel Abbey Tour

Lower level

Having passed through Guardroom (1), which is the fortified entrance to the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, visitors by stairs Grand Degre (2) climb to the Sault Gautier terrace. The route then goes between the church, on the right side, and the monastery housing on the left side. They are connected to each other by suspended passages. The monastery housing, built between the 14th and 16th centuries, served as the residence of the abbots.

Top level

West Terrace (3) consists of the porch of the abbey church and the first three bays of the nave, destroyed after a fire in the 13th century. The classical façade was rebuilt in 1780. The terrace offers a general view of the Bay of Saint-Michel: from the Cancale (“Oyster”) rock, which is located in the west, in, and to the steep shores in the east, in. From here you can see two huge granite blocks: Mont Dol on the mainland in the southwest and the islet of Tombelin in the north. In the open sea you can discern the archipelago of the Chauzet Islands, from where the granite was supplied for the construction of the Mont Saint-Michel Abbey.

The terrace also offers an excellent view of the neo-Gothic spire of the bell tower, erected in 1897. The spire is crowned with a gilded statue of St. Mikhail.

Abbey Church (4), built in the first decades of the year 1000, was erected on the top of a cliff, 80 m above sea level, on a platform 80 meters long. The nave of the church consists of three levels: arcades, galleries and high windows. The supporting structure of the nave is covered with a wood-clad arch. The choir, made in the Romanesque style and collapsed in 1421, was rebuilt after the Hundred Years' War, but in the flamboyant Gothic style.

Next you will go to internal monastery gallery (5). It connected the various monastery rooms and was also used for prayer and meditation. During church holidays, religious processions passed through it. The gallery is located at the top of a building built in the early 13th century, which is called the Wonderworks. Along the gallery you can go to the monastery refectory, to the kitchen, to the church, to the dormitory (shared bedroom), to the archive of charters. The central doorway, overlooking the sea to the west, would have served as the entrance to the never-built chapter hall.

To lighten their own weight, all the monastery galleries were made of wooden frames. A double row of small, slightly offset columns outlines an ever-changing perspective.

IN refectory (6) The monks ate their food in complete silence, and at this time, from a pulpit located near the southern wall, one of them read patristic instructions. There are narrow windows in the side walls of the hall, invisible from the entrance.

Average level

From here you get to crypt of large columns (8). The crypt was erected in the mid-15th century to support the Gothic choir of the monastery church.

The route then goes to crypt Saint Martin (9), erected after the thousandth year. The crypt serves as the foundation for the south wing of the church's transept. The crypt is made in the form of a huge vault with a span of 9 meters.

From here, along a small passage you can get to the huge wheel, which is occupied by the former monastic ossuary (10)(the hall where the bones of dead people removed from the graves are stored). The wheel was installed around 1820: it was used to lift food for prisoners in the Mont Saint-Michel prison. The current wheel is a copy, modeled after similar wheels from the Middle Ages.

Chapel of Saint-Etienne (11) located between a healing place, which collapsed in the early 19th century, and a monastic ossuary. It served as a chapel for the dead.

From the south side stairs (12) you can climb to the north side. The staircase is located under the west terrace and was a very busy area. She goes out to covered gallery for walks (13), made in the form of a long hall with a double nave. Its architects invented an innovation: the vaults of the hall rest on vaulted intersections - this is how Gothic art was born.

Then you will again find yourself in the Miracle Structure: Knights' Hall (14). It was built to support the internal monastery gallery and served for the work and study of the monks. Their creations have survived to this day: the manuscripts of the Mont Saint-Michel Abbey are now kept in the city of Avranches.

The visit ends at almshouse (15), located on the first level under the Guest Hall. It was in this place that the monks received the poor and pilgrims of all classes.

Dedicated to the Archangel Michael, the Gothic-style Benedictine monastery and the settlement that grew up at the foot of its enormous walls are called the “Wonder of the West.” It is located between Normandy and Brittany on a rocky cliff peninsula that turns into an island during high tides. The monastery was built between the 11th and 16th centuries. in the most difficult natural conditions, is recognized as an artistic and engineering masterpiece and has been on the World Heritage List (Mont-Saint-Michel et sa baie) since 1979.

The island of Mont Saint-Michel is located in Basse-Normandy in the Manche department. The complex is located on an island-rock, rising 78.8 m above the average sea level. It stands out sharply against the background of the surrounding bay and flat coast. The island is a conical granite formation approximately 930 m in diameter, formed from weathering-resistant igneous rocks - leucogranites.

Twice a lunar day (every 24 hours 50 minutes) the bay experiences high and low tides, the strongest on the coast of Europe and the second in amplitude on the entire globe. During the period of syzygic tides (on the days of the autumn-spring equinox, on the second or third day after a new or full moon), the water lasts 8 hours in winter and 9 hours in summer. The water can extend 18 km from Saint-Michel and spread up to 20 km inland. For most of the year, the area surrounding the island is quicksand.

Initially, the mountain was on land, surrounded by forests, and was the habitat of the Celtic tribes, on which the Druids performed their rituals. Then, as a result of soil erosion caused by the activity of the sea and the three rivers flowing into it, the sea came onto the land. One of the rivers, Couesnon, which flows into the sea near the dam, now represents the administrative border between Normandy and Brittany.

Currently, the water regime of the bay raises serious concerns, including those caused by the difficult environmental situation, and a decision was made to destroy the dam (which has existed since 1879) and replace it with a bridge. In the meantime, the dam exists, and it brings huge numbers of tourists here (the spots in the picture are because it was taken through a dirty bus window).

The island is the only inhabited of the three granite formations of the Bay of Saint-Michel (Mont Saint-Michel, Tomblain and Mont Dole). This is what Tomblain Island looks like.

The city on the island has existed since 709. Currently there are several dozen residents. As a result of the activities of several generations of builders, a unique microcosm was created here, reflecting in architectural forms the evolution of the worldview from the Middle Ages to the present. This natural-historical complex is one of the most famous places to visit. The island is located 400 km northwest of Paris and attracts tourists from all over the world as a living legend, because the biblical battle of the Archangel Michael with Satan in the form of a dragon ended, according to legend, here. In France, Mont Saint-Michel is second only to the Eiffel Tower and Versailles in popularity. 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 come to the abbey in July-August. On the spire of the abbey there is a figure of Michael the Archangel.

Before the construction of the first religious building in the 8th century, the island was named Mogilnaya Gora (Mont Tombe). According to the “Golden Legend”, in 708 here the Archangel Michael gave the Bishop of Avranches Saint Aubert the task of building a church on the rock. Three times the guardian of the gates of heaven had to appear to the bishop, since he was not sure whether he had interpreted the sign correctly. And only after, according to one version, Archangel Michael tapped him on the head with his finger, and according to another, burned through the bishop’s cassock with a sword, did Ober order the monks to begin construction. In accordance with the instructions of the archangel, the church was built in the form of a grotto, depicting the cave in which the appearance of St. Mikhail. This version of the legend is evidenced by the remains of two Christian chapels, probably dating back to the 6th century, discovered on the mountain during excavations. Since that time, according to legend, “on the days of St. Michael, the sea recedes and leaves an open passage for people.” Construction of the abbey took place from the 11th to the 16th centuries. The first Carolingian church, Notre Dame sous Terre (Our Lady Underground), was built in pre-Romanesque style on the site of a grotto built by Auber. Over the years, the island has repelled repeated Viking raids. In 966, several dozen monks settled on the island, who came here from the monastery of Sant-Vendria, who founded the abbey here. In 1017, Abbot Gildeber II began the construction of the central building of the monastery, which was completed only in 1520. In the 12th century, the abbey became one of the centers of pilgrimage in Western Europe, its influence and power grew. The decline of the monastery's power began during the Hundred Years' War. The British besieged the abbey from 1424 to 1434, but were never able to capture the island. The city, however, was almost completely destroyed. However, already from the middle of the 15th century, the abbey began to receive pilgrims again. In 1470, the French king Louis XI founded the Order of St. Michael (Orden den Chevaliers de Saint-Michel) in honor of the defenders of the island, whose residence was located in the abbey. Despite the completion of the central building in the late Gothic (“Flaming Gothic”) style in 1520, Mont Saint-Michel soon began to fall into disrepair. Although the monastery escaped plunder during the outbreak of religious wars, by the time of the French Revolution it was almost abandoned. In 1791, the monks left the monastery. The monastery was closed (the monks returned to the island only in 1966), and until 1863 the island was used as a prison, and the island bore the ironic name Mont Libre - many prisoners were political opponents of the ruling regimes of France from the First Republic to the Second Empire . At times, up to one and a half hundred prisoners were kept here.

The abbey covers an area of ​​approximately 55,000 m² and is an example of a medieval French fortified monastery. In connection with the celebration of the millennium of monasticism, in 1969 a Benedictine community settled in the premises of the abbey, currently numbering 7 people. Construction of the church began in the Romanesque style, which was new for that time. Funds for its construction were given in 1022 by the Duke of Normandy, Richard II, in order to attract pilgrims here. At the top of the granite cone there was no platform on which a building with a planned length of 70 m could be located, and therefore the architects decided to rest almost the entire western nave of the church on the Church of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre. Directly on the rock, on the upper level, the transept crosspiece (1032-1048) and the choir were placed. The picture shows the interiors of the main church with a Romanesque nave and choir in the “flaming Gothic” style.

And here is a purely Romanesque style.

Monastic refectory.

The northern wing of the transept rests on the crypt of Our Lady of the Thirty Candles, and the southern wing on the crypt of St. Martin, preserved almost entirely with the exception of almost completely lost painting. Despite the fact that these crypts were built only to support the wings of the transept, they are used as chapels for worship. The architecture of the monastery is unique in that the monastery services do not surround the monastery courtyard, but are built on different levels. Complex "Miracle". The monastery courtyard is a kyostro, surrounded by a gallery open to the inside, which serves as a religious procession. A procession of the cross, intended for meditation, should not allow those praying to see anything other than the sky.

Well, now we’re just walking.

Below is a tourist village with shops and restaurants.

In general, it is a wonderful place that I would like to wish all good people to visit.

And my carcass is in the background.

Castle and Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel (Normandy region)

The Chateau Saint-Michel is one of the most charming attractions France. Mont-Saint-Michel was once a center of pilgrimage for monks who dreamed of visiting here to venerate Saint Michael.

However, not all righteous pilgrim-monks managed to get to the majestic 80-meter rock, separated from the land by water at high tide.

Medieval pilgrims faced death in quicksand or death from rising tides. Natural disasters have claimed many lives. The first buildings appeared here in the 8th century. According to legend, Bishop Aubert of Avranches in 708, at the behest of the Archangel Michael, built a chapel on the rock, which later collapsed.

In the 10th century, a Benedictine abbey was founded here, and in the 11th century, work began on the construction of a new Romanesque church. Gradually new buildings were erected around it. Over the centuries, they were rebuilt several times in Romanesque and Gothic styles, and a fortification system was created around the abbey.

This religious site was never home to more than 40 monks until the Revolution, when the abbey's buildings were requisitioned and turned into a prison. In 1966, exactly one thousand years after the founding of the Benedictine Monastery by Duke Richard I, the monks returned to Mont Saint-Michel. And today a small monastic community lives here, following the traditions established by the Benedictines in 966.

For many years now Castle Saint Michel(the mountain) is not an island in the truest sense of the word. Today Mont Saint-Michel is connected to the mainland by a dam along which an asphalt road runs. Due to the dam preventing the waves from rising, the bay gradually began to become polluted. In the near future, it is planned to destroy the dam and replace it with a pedestrian bridge. This will make it possible not only to easily control the number of tourists, but will also help prevent pollution of the bay, while Mont Saint-Michel will remain an island as before.

Abbey of Mont Saint Michel

The Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is an architectural ensemble dominated by a church topped with a spire with a figurine of the Archangel Michael and a Gothic monastery complex known since 1228 as “La Merville” (the hall of the knights, the refectory, the covered arcade and cellars). It can be seen from all points of the strait, but as soon as you get closer, it begins to inspire fear.

Here is what Maupassant wrote about this: “I reached a large rock on which stands a small city with an outstanding church. Walking up a steep, narrow street, I entered the most remarkable Gothic building that was ever made for God on this earth. The building is as vast as the city, full of rooms with low ceilings and high galleries, supported by pillars.

I found myself in an amazing gigantic room made of granite, which is so skillfully made that it resembles lace work. Towers and slender bell towers, crowned with chimeras, devils, fantastic animals and monstrous flowers and interconnected by an intricate network of arches, direct their peaks high into the sky.”

The highest point of the mount (castle) of Saint-Michel lies below what is now the transept of the church, where the transition from Gothic to Romanesque style is particularly evident in the naves. To create a church in the traditional form of a cross, with crypts, it had to be built on a hillside, and the entire structure, made of granite from the island of Chozet, had to be completely consistent with the terrain. Space was limited, but the building grew over the centuries with an architectural ingenuity that is especially surprising for its geometry. The construction of the monastery began with the gloomy Great Hall.

It is not surprising that the building of the monastery is not particularly smooth: the church, choir, nave and tower were completed and remodeled. Along with the architecture, the style of decoration also changed. IN medieval era the walls of public rooms, such as the refectory, were decorated with tapestries and frescoes, but now you will see bare walls. To get an idea of ​​the abbey's history, look out for its curious models at the entrance, which depict four different eras.

Rest of Saint Michel Island

The fortifications of the abbey can be penetrated through the Royal Gate, which leads to the Grand Rue. Souvenir shops with overpriced goods are randomly scattered along its sides, which is a continuation of the ancient tradition of leaving pilgrims without money.

Grand Rue ends with a wide staircase with steep steps leading upward. On a plaque next to the stairs it is written that Jacques Cartier was presented here to Francis I on May 8, 1532, and was entrusted with the exploration of the Canadian coast. The Maritime Museum will introduce you to the underwater flora and fauna of the Bay of Saint-Michel, while the Archaeoscope will take you on a 15-minute journey through space and time.

Behind the 11th-century St. Peter's Basilica is the Grevin Museum. Its exhibitions are dedicated to the history of the monastery. Here you can see scenes from the life of former times, recreated using wax figures. Both museums are open from February to mid-November. Huge crowds gather every day at the North Tower to view the strait. Flocks of seagulls, despite the late hour, are mincing along the sand, but soon they will have to fly up to escape the rising water.

Useful information about the castle and abbey of Saint-Michel

On Mount Saint-Michel there is a tourist office below at the entrance to the monastery. A regular bus service connects Mont Saint-Michel with the train stations of Pontorson, Rena And Saint Malo. Although the island has a surprising number of hotels and restaurants, there are still not enough of them to cope with the real influx of tourists. Obviously, most of these establishments offer expensive services, however, almost every hotel still has cheap rooms.

Best known hotel La Mare Poulard. The legendary omelets that Leon Trotsky and Margaret Thatcher enjoyed (at different times) are prepared here, which justifies their extortionate prices. The cheapest option is Du Guesclin, where there is a TV in every room, and the Crois Blanche and Mouton Blanc hotels are of a high standard. It's sad but restaurants It's worse here than anywhere else in France, making it quite difficult to recommend anything.

Additionally, it is worth noting that large hotels and motels are lined up along the D-976 highway closest to the island, each of which has cafe or a restaurant. Among them are Motel Vert, Hotel Formule Verte and Hotel de la Digue. There is even a three-star campsite, Mont Saint-Michel, which is also on the mainland just off the road.

Most visitors to Mont Saint-Michel stay in Pontorson, which is 6 kilometers from the island and has the nearest train station with regular buses to Mont Saint-Michel. The hotels here are not particularly special, but, for example, Montgomery, which occupies an old ivy-covered mansion (13 rue du Couesnon), and Bretagne (59 rue du Couesnon) have very good restaurants. The recently renovated boarding house is located near the cathedral, 1 kilometer west of the station, in the Du Guesclin Center (21 rue du General Patton).

Visiting the Chateau Saint-Michel

Access to the island of Saint-Michel is free and unrestricted. There is a €5 fee for parking either on the highway or in areas that are underwater at high tide. If you come here by car in the summer, it is better to leave your car on the mainland somewhere near Saint-Michel and enjoy a walk (this way you can avoid possible traffic jams).

The Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is open daily: May-September 9.00-19.00, entrance until 18.00; October-April 9.30-18.00, entrance until 17.00. Closed: December 25, January 1 and May 1. A standard ticket (9€, 6€ for 18 to 25 year olds, free ticket for under 18s) entitles you to visit all accessible places on the island and join one of the excursions, which are conducted in different languages ​​(mid-June – mid-September excursion lasts 45 minutes, mid-September – mid-June – 1 hour).

A daily tour schedule is posted at the entrance. There are also more detailed tours that last a full two hours, but only in French (July and August daily 10.30, 11.30, 14.00 and 16.00; September-June Saturday and Sunday 10.30 and 14.00; 5 € extra).

Only in July and August is the Abbey of Saint-Michel open in the evenings. During this time, visitors can take a walk in the gardens (Monday-Sunday 7.00-21.00; admission is free if you have a basic ticket purchased at any other time of the day). Also, when music and video equipment is reinstalled in the abbey, you can stay here until midnight (Monday-Saturday 21.00-00.00, entrance up to 10 €, for persons 13-24 years old - 7 €).

Mont Saint Michel(Mont Saint-Michel) or Mount of the Archangel Michael is a small rocky island-fortress on the northwestern coast of France. This island is the only inhabited of the three islands in the Bay of Saint-Michel. A city was built on the island, which has existed since 709.

The abbey castle of Mont Saint-Michel is one of ten!

Plan of Mont Saint Michel:

• Abbey

• Wonderful building

• City

• Watch Terrace

The main attraction of the French province of Normandy is Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, overlooking a huge sandy bay. Since time immemorial, a huge number of pilgrims from all over Europe have flocked to this abbey in order to come into contact with the shrines.

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.

Currently it has about a hundred inhabitants. In 1879, the island was connected by a 2 km long dam to the mainland. Mont Saint Michel b is a granite formation with a diameter of 930 m and a height of 92 m, which is located at the mouth of the Cusnon River. Every 24 hours 50 minutes the bay experiences high and low tides, the strongest in Europe. The water can extend 18 km from Saint-Michel and spread up to 20 km inland. At high tide the island is completely surrounded by water, and at low tide the mountain is surrounded by sand. The tide height reaches 14 meters.

Mont Saint Michel is a granite formation with a diameter of 930 m and a height of 92 m located at the mouth of the Cusnon River. Here is the highest tide in Europe, up to. 14 m. At high tide, the island is completely surrounded by water, reaching right up to the walls. At low tide the mountain is surrounded by sands.

On the southern side, the lower part of the mountain is occupied by a city surrounded by a 15th century fortress wall.

The entrance to the city is protected by a system of gates and barbicans. Through the outer gate, one enters the outer barbican, then through the Boulevard gate into the next barbican, called the Boulevard. Further beyond the moat is the large Royal Gate with an arched passage and a drawbridge. Next to the main gate there is a narrow gate with its own drawbridge. The bridge is raised by a lever-type mechanism. Adjacent to the Royal Gate, flanking it, is the round Royal Tower, the first tower of the outer wall. The outer wall, flanked by nine towers, rises along the mountainside to the abbey, and is completed by the Claudine Tower.

Inside the wall, on a slope, there is a city consisting of almost one narrow street.

In front of the entrance to the abbey there is a barbican protecting them, surrounded by a battlement with two gates. One of the gates is located on the side of the city road, others open onto the narrow Watch Terrace, which goes around the monastery from the north and ends with access to the road through a narrow door in the Claudine Tower.

The barbican is dominated by the tall, multifaceted Raven Tower and the twin round towers of the abbey's main gate. Behind the gate is the large vaulted Hall of the Guard, from which the Great Staircase leads to the upper terrace, running between the lower floors of the temple building and the living quarters of the abbey.

The core of the abbey consists of two parts - the temple with the premises located underneath it, and the so-called. Miracle, a three-story tower reinforced with buttresses, adjacent to the temple on the north side.

The temple is mostly Romanesque, but the choir was built only in the 16th century. on the site of what collapsed in 1421. To prevent it from repeating the fate of its predecessor, the Crypt of the Great Columns was built at the base. Its 10 columns with a diameter of 5 m support the new choir.

The top floor of the Miracle is occupied by a courtyard with a colonnade running along the perimeter and a vaulted refectory.

Below the refectory there is a large Guest Room with two huge fireplaces at the end of the room and another fireplace in the center of the inner wall. Notable visitors were received in this hall. Next to it, under the courtyard, is the so-called. The Knights' Hall, which received this name for its splendor. The castle is decorated with numerous carved columns. This hall served as a place for the monks to work; here they copied texts.

Under the Guest Hall there was an almshouse, and under the Knight's Hall there were storage rooms. Under the temple there are numerous crypts and chapels. The total number of rooms in the abbey exceeds 50. They are connected by numerous staircases and corridors.

History of the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel

In 966, Benedictine monks, with the permission of the Pope, founded an abbey here and built a monastery with the money of the Duke of Normandy, Richard I. In 1017, Abbot Gilderbert II began the construction of the central monastery building, the construction of which was fully completed only five centuries later.

Thanks to the work and faith of the Benedictine monks, a simple chapel over this long period of time turned into a majestic abbey, built from granite quarried on the Chauzet Islands.

At the beginning of the 12th century, Abbot Roger II began construction of 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 of Europe. The influence of the monastery is growing. The abbey received English and French kings, and was granted several possessions in England.

In 1204, King Philip Augustus of France captured Normandy. The ally of the French king, Guy de Tours, captured and burned the settlement near the monastery, as a result of which the monastery itself was seriously damaged by the fire. Philip Augustus, in order to atone for his guilt, donates a huge sum 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 14th century the monastery did not change. Successive abbots gradually built up the island. The Hundred Years' War that breaks out between England and France leads to the fact that the abbey is deprived of income from its English possessions.

In 1356, the British attempted to take the monastery, but the siege was unsuccessful. In 1386, the abbot of the monastery, Pierre Roy, for security purposes, significantly strengthened the entrance to the monastery, and also built three towers. Subsequently, Abbot Robber Jolivet, who replaced Roy, erected fortress 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 to get beyond the castle walls to no avail. But the French defended the abbey. The British never managed 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 English were defeated at the Battle of Formigny and expelled from Normandy.

In 1469, the French king Louis XI established the knightly order of St. Michael in the abbey. In 1523, construction of the Gothic choir began. This year, the monks are deprived of the right to choose the abbot of the monastery. Now only the king has this right. Appointed by the king and not by clergy, the so-called “abbots” are completely devoid of spirituality. This leads to the monastery's treasury being spent for other purposes. All this deprives the monks of the desire to live in a monastery. Flow of pilgrims to Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel gradually dries up. By 1580, only 13 monks lived in the monastery. Fourteen years later, the bell tower is completely destroyed by a lightning strike. Due to the small number of monks, the temple remains dilapidated for decades. In 1662, the abbey, which had fallen into disrepair, was replaced by nine Benedictines from the Saint-Maur congregation.

In 1176, there was another fire that destroyed the Romanesque entrance to the temple. The current system of choosing monastery abbots continued to have its destructive effect until 1870. During the French Revolution, the abbey was closed and turned into a prison. The monks are expelled, and all things from the monastery are sold.

With the arrival of Napoleon III Mont Saint Michel regains its former glory, the prison is abolished, and the monastery is declared a national treasure of France. Work begins on its restoration.

The mid-20th century was marked by the return of the monks to the rocky island. In 1979, the abbey was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The French themselves think Mont Saint Michel"the eighth wonder of the world." Still active today Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, which became a real fortress, amazingly combining military and religious architecture, rightfully deserves this title.

Today this ancient abbey, stunning with its grandeur and the splendor of the surrounding nature, receives about three million tourists a year

In modern art, Mont Saint-Michel served as the prototype for the fortress of Minas Tirith in the cult trilogy “The Lord of the Rings” by Peter Jackson based on the book by Professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The famous English composer M. Olfrid, fascinated by the dark beauty of the island, dedicated the composition of the same name to him in the album “Voyager”. It was this island that the swindlers from the French comedy “Incorrigible” tried to save from their enemies.

The famous abbey of Mont Saint-Michel embodies the entire medieval history of France. After the French Revolution, the Benedictine abbey served as a prison, and today it is visited by tens of thousands of tourists. Nestled on a small rocky islet on the northwestern coast of France and connected by a causeway to the mainland, Mont Saint Michel Since 1979 it has been recognized as a monument of world significance.

The island, crowned with the spire of the abbey, amazes with its grandeur. During high tide (and here is the highest tide in Europe - up to 10 m) the water arrives at a speed of 20 km/h, and the fortress built on a high rock (78 m) can only be reached by boats. At low tide you can simply walk on dry land without even getting your feet wet. Abbey of Mont Saint Michel- This is one of the main attractions of France and the real pride of the province of Normandy.

By attendance Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel can compete with the Eiffel Tower itself - more than 3.5 million people visit it annually. Small - only a kilometer in diameter and eighty meters above sea level - the island is connected to the mainland at low tide, and at high tide, perhaps the highest in the world, it is completely surrounded by the sea.

At low tide, pilgrims reached the abbey along the seabed. Now, for convenience, they have built a dam - surrealistically thin, like a stretched string. How could it be otherwise, if many thousands are trying to get to a tiny town where only 138 people live at the foot of a Gothic monastery. To tirelessly wander among the unreal, vertically inclined stone labyrinth of museums and temples, looking for ever new delightful corners.

Tradition says that Archangel Michael himself appeared to Bishop Aubert of Avranches in a dream and ordered to build a church on the rocky island. The skeptical cleric was not inclined to trust his dreams, and then the angry Archangel touched the monk with his finger (Obert’s relics are still kept in Avranches; they say the dent in the skull is quite significant). The stimulus worked. In the place where the bishop discovered a grotto on the mountain, he ordered the construction of a basilica.

In the 10th century Mont Saint Michel The Benedictines moved from Saint-Vendria. And right up to the 16th century they built, built, built. There were means - the island of the Miracle of St. Michael became one of the most popular places of pilgrimage. This is still the case today.

One of the special places in Christianity is occupied by the image of St. Michael. This is not just an archangel, but a warrior and intercessor. He accompanies the souls of the righteous to Heavenly Jerusalem, helps them on their way and protects them from lurking demons. In addition, it is he, according to the Apocalypse, who must stand at the head of the heavenly army in the last battle of good and evil. According to biblical legend, Archangel Michael fought with Satan in the form of a dragon and plunged him into the abyss of water. The battle ended on a mountain that later received the name Mount St. Michael. This is probably why temples high in the mountains are traditionally dedicated to St. Michael. The famous abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, which is located on a small (about 900 meters in circumference) rocky island of the same name and which was destined to become one of the main pilgrimage centers of medieval Europe, was built on the same principle.

A beautiful legend is associated with the emergence of the abbey. In 708, the city of Avrange, located in the north of Brittany, near its border with Normandy, was ruled by Bishop Aubert. One night the bishop heard the voice of St. Michael, who demanded that an island rock, located next to the city and separated from it by a strait, be dedicated to him.

Ober did nothing, believing that he had been misled by his visions. The Archangel appeared to the bishop several times, predicting miracles that he would perform in order to strengthen Christians in their faith and convince the bishop. For example, one of the miraculous deeds of the archangel was a flying bull seen by people, which was then found on the top of a rock. The Archangel was impatient with the bishop's inaction and, on his next visit, plunged his finger into Aubert's skull, finally convincing him (the bishop's skull with a regular rounded hole is still kept in a glass cube in the abbey).

After this, Bishop Aubert, as Michael demanded, sent his people to Italy, to Monte Gorgano - since it was believed that the Holy Angel in Rome and Mount Monte Gorgano on a rocky island in the Adriatic were the traditional places of the appearance of the archangel. They returned and brought sacred relics - a piece of the red robe that the archangel wore during one of his apparitions and a fragment of the sacrificial stone on which he placed his foot.

Upon their return, Aubert began the construction of a chapel on Mont Tomb (the original name of the island). People's work was facilitated by the intervention of divine forces - for example, a large stone that was hindering construction was turned out by the light touch of a child; There was a shortage of drinking water on the mountain - a miracle helped to find a source of life-giving moisture, which was then called the Saint Aubert fountain. Thus Aubert settled on a rocky islet, which gradually became known as Mount St. Michael, in order to devote himself to the service of God and his archangel.

In 966, the Duke of Normandy gave the island to the Order of Benedictine monks, who founded Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. Construction on the island continued until the 19th century, gradually turning the island into a small town. The remarkable Gothic architectural ensemble of the abbey is crowned by a beautiful church located on the top of the island, at an altitude of about 90 meters above sea level. It is built on three crypts, the oldest of which dates back to Carolingian times.

The building's impressive nave was built in the 11th century in Romanesque style, and its eastern chancel (choir) was rebuilt in Flamboyant Gothic style in 1450-1521. The floor of the church is on the same level as the third floor of the adjacent monastery buildings, which gives the structure the appearance of a stern and impregnable stronghold. The tower and spire, topped by a statue of St. Michael, date from a later period - they were built in the 19th century.

The outer walls of the beautiful Gothic monastery of La Merville, meaning "The Miracle" (13th century), combine the power of a fortress and the simplicity of church architecture. The monastery is decorated with double rows of columns supporting pointed arches with wonderful floral patterns and a huge number of sculptures. The most remarkable part of the building is the refectory with high narrow windows and the romantic Hall of Knights, where the proud defenders of the fortress gathered. Below the monastery buildings are clustered residential buildings, some of which date back to the 15th century. The only street that exists here runs through the island, and most of the buildings are connected to each other by complex internal passages and steep staircases.

Extremely difficult to access due to its island position, the monastery in the 13th century was additionally surrounded on the southern and eastern sides by powerful defensive walls with round towers and projections and with a single fortress gate.

Thanks to this, the abbey successfully withstood sieges during the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 14th and 15th centuries and during the French Wars of Religion in the second half of the 16th century.

In the 18th century, the abbey fell into disrepair and was closed during the French Revolution. From the time of Napoleon I to 1863 Mont Saint Michel was a state prison, and then was declared a historical monument and restored. Now Mont Saint Michel is one of the main tourist centers in France.

Over the past centuries the sea has receded and now most of the time Mont Saint Michel surrounded by shifting sands, and only during high tides does it become an island. Such tides are observed here during the autumn and spring equinoxes - the water level rises by 10 meters per day - these are the strongest tides in France, and at low tide the sea moves 25 kilometers from the coast. Now a dam has been built and a highway connects the island to the mainland, making it convenient for visiting.

And as a result of changes in the contours of the shores, vast areas appeared that were completely abandoned by the water. This soil, salted by sea water, gradually became overgrown with grass, which the sheep liked very much. The meat of the sheep bred here contains excess salt and has a special taste - it is almost immediately suitable for consumption; their wool also has special properties - things made from this wool turn out to be very fluffy.

• In 1874, Mont Saint Michel was recognized as a State Historic Monument.
• In 1972, UNESCO added Mont Saint Michel to the List of World Heritage Sites.
• The French consider Mont Saint-Michel and its bay the “eighth wonder of the world,” and the Europeans consider it “the wonder of Western Europe.”
• When the tide goes out, you can go around Mount Saint-Michel, but you need to be careful and don't go too far from the foot of the mountain - there is a high risk of getting into quicksand.
• The castle island of Mont Saint-Michel was the prototype for the fortress of Minas Tirith in the popular film “The Lord of the Rings”.
• In our time Mont Saint Michel becomes an island only 2 times a year. This happens due to the fact that over the past centuries the sea has receded - now most of the time the castle is surrounded by sands, but 2 times a year (during the autumn and spring equinoxes) during strong tides it becomes

Address: France, Normandy, Manche department
The beginning of the abbey's history: 708
Coordinates: 48°38′9.6″N,1°30′41.04″W
Main attractions: abbey built in the 11th-16th centuries

In France, off the coast of the historical region of Normandy, on the top of an 80-meter cliff, washed by the waves of the Atlantic, is the ancient abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. Only a 2-kilometer dam connects the island with the mainland.

At high tide, Mont Saint-Michel is completely surrounded by water, and at low tide it is surrounded by quicksand.. This place has long been shrouded in a mystical aura: the Celts called the island Grave Mountain and used it as a cemetery, and the Druids came here to worship the setting sun. One of the legends says that it was on Mogilnaya Hill that Julius Caesar was buried in a golden coffin and golden sandals.

Mont Saint Michel at sunset

Mont Saint-Michel - abode of the Archangel Michael

The history of the abbey itself dates back to 708, when the Archangel Michael appeared to Bishop Aubert from the city of Avranches in a dream and ordered to build a temple on Mogilnaya Hill.

The place was not chosen by chance: according to legend, on this island the Archangel Michael, together with his heavenly army, defeated Satan, who took the form of a seven-headed dragon. Three times the Archangel Michael visited the bishop, repeating his order, but the incredulous Norman did not heed the sign.

General view of Mont Saint Michel

And only after the heavenly messenger, angry, hit the priest on the forehead with his finger, Ober began construction. Those who doubt the authenticity of this legend can check for themselves: there is indeed a noticeable dent on Auber’s preserved skull.

In 966, the Norman Duke Richard I gave Mont Saint-Michel to the Benedictine monks, who founded an abbey here. Over five centuries of construction (XI - XVI centuries), an ensemble of Romanesque and Gothic buildings rose above the island, rising up the mountainside to the elegant turret of the monastery church crowning the entire structure.

Mont Saint Michel from above

Despite numerous alterations, the church has largely retained its Romanesque appearance - rounded arches, massive walls and vaults. The choir, completed in the 15th century, is made in the “flaming Gothic” style. At the tip of the spire at an altitude of 155.5 meters above sea level there is a gilded figure of the Archangel Michael with a drawn sword.

Gothic complex "Miracle"

In 1203, France annexed Normandy. King Philip II Augustus, wanting to atone for his sin before the Archangel Michael for burning part of the monastery during the siege, built the Gothic complex of La Merveille (translated as “miracle”) on the northern side of the island.

City buildings

In record time - just 17 years - a monastery was created that ideally meets the requirements of ascetic life. La Merveille consists of two 3-storey sections. On the ground floor on the eastern side there is a room for overnight pilgrims. Above there was a hall for guests, where the abbot received high-ranking persons, and the third floor was given over to the monastery refectory. In the western wing of La Merveille, the first floor is occupied by a storage room, above which there is a scriptorium - a workshop for copying manuscripts.

View of the abbey temple

In 1470, when Louis XI founded the knightly order of St. Michael, the scriptorium was converted into a meeting hall. The upper floor of the western section is framed by a cloister - a covered gallery. The cloister was intended for solitary reflection and prayer, and was also used for liturgical purposes.

Mont Saint Michel - fortress island

During the 10 centuries of Mont Saint-Michel's existence, no one conquered it. The high speed of the tidal wave and the steepness of the rock made the monastery impregnable. The island occupied an important strategic position and for many years repelled Viking raids, and in 1091, during a conflict between the sons of William of Normandy, it withstood its first siege.

Street in Mont Saint Michel

During the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), Mont Saint-Michel became an arena of struggle between England and France. The British were never able to take the island. The knights guarding the fortress captured two bombards (cannons) and installed them at the city gates as a warning to any enemy. To this day the bombards stand in the same place.

Visit to Mont Saint Michel

In 1863, Mont Saint-Michel was declared a national treasure of France and opened to tourists.. The ascent to the “mountain of the Archangel Michael” begins at the royal gates, leading to the only street on the island - Grand Rue, lined with medieval houses.