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{{Infobox French commune
I think france is a alien planet that cheese is there main food.
|name = Le Mont Saint-Michel
|image = [[File:MSM sunset 02.JPG|270px]]
|caption = Le Mont Saint-Michel.
|image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Mont-Saint-Michel (Manche).svg
|coat of arms legend = Le Mont-Saint-Michel#Héraldique
|region = [[Basse-Normandie]]
|department = [[Manche (département)|Manche]]
|arrondissement = [[Arrondissement of Avranches|Avranches]]
|canton = [[Canton of Pontorson|Pontorson]]
|INSEE = 50353
|postal code = 50116
|mayor = Éric Vannier
|term = 2008–2014
|intercommunality = [[Communauté de communes de Pontorson - Le Mont-Saint-Michel]]
|latitude = 48.636028
|longitude = -1.511393
|elevation min m = 5
|elevation max m = 80
|area km2 = 0.97
|population = 41
|population date = 2006
|demonym = Montois
}}

{{Infobox World Heritage Site
| WHS = Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
|Image =
| State Party = {{FRA}}
| Type = Cultural
| Criteria = i, iii, vi
| ID = 80
|Region = [[List of World Heritage Sites in Europe|Europe]]
| Coordinates = | Year = 1979
| Session = 3rd
| Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/80
}}
{{About||the municipality in Canada|Mont-Saint-Michel, Quebec|the island off the coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom|St Michael's Mount}}
'''Mont Saint-Michel''' ({{Lang-en|[[Saint Michael]]'s Mount}}) is a rocky [[tidal island]] and a [[Communes of France|commune]] in [[Normandy]], [[France]] (Le Mont-Saint-Michel). It is located approximately one kilometer (just over a half-mile) off the country's north coast, at the mouth of the [[Couesnon|Couesnon River]] near [[Avranches]]. The population of the island is 41.

==Formation==
In prehistoric times the bay was land. As sea levels rose [[erosion]] shaped the coastal landscape over millions of years. Several blocks of [[granite]] or [[granulite]] emerged in the bay, having resisted the wear and tear of the ocean better than the surrounding rocks. These included [[Lillemer]], the Mont-Dol, Tombelaine (the island just to the north), and Mont Tombe, later called Mont-Saint-Michel.

==Tidal island==
Mont Saint-Michel was previously connected to the mainland via a thin natural [[land bridge]], which before modernization was covered at high [[tide]] and revealed at low tide. This has been compromised by several developments. Over the centuries, the coastal flats have been [[polder]]ised to create pasture. Thus the distance between the shore and the south coast of Mont-Saint-Michel has decreased. The [[Couesnon]] River has been [[canal]]ised, reducing the flow of water and thereby encouraging a [[silt]]ing-up of the bay. In 1879, the land bridge was fortified into a true [[causeway]]. This prevented the tide from scouring the silt round the mount.

On 16 June 2006, the French prime minister and regional authorities announced a [[euro|€]]164 million project (''Projet Mont-Saint-Michel''<ref>[http://www.projetmontsaintmichel.fr/en/ Projet Mont-Saint-Michel]</ref>) to build a [[hydraulics|hydraulic]] [[dam]] using the waters of the river [[Couesnon]] and of tides that will help remove the accumulated silt deposited by the uprising tides, and to make Mont-Saint-Michel an island again. It is expected to be completed by 2012.<ref>[http://www.projetmontsaintmichel.fr/agir/iso_album/baien17.pdf La Baie, June 2007, p.4, in French]</ref>

The construction of the dam is now complete (it was inaugurated in 2009). The project also includes the destruction of the [[causeway]] that was built on top of the small land bridge and enlarged, to join the island to the continent, but also used as a parking for visitors. It will be replaced by an elevated light bridge, under which the waters will flow more freely, and that will improve the efficiency of the now operational dam, and the construction of another parking on the continent. Visitors will have to use small shuttles to cross the future bridge which will still be open to walking people and unmotorized cycles.

== History ==
Mont-Saint-Michel was used in the [[6th century|sixth]] and [[7th century|seventh centuries]] as an [[Armorica]]n stronghold of [[Romano-British culture|Romano-Breton culture]] and power, until it was ransacked by the [[Franks]], thus ending the trans-[[English Channel|channel]] culture that had stood since the departure of the [[Roman Gaul|Romans]] in AD 460.

[[Image:msmabbey.jpg|thumb|left|Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, [[albumen print]], ca. 1865-1895]]

Before the construction of the first monastic establishment in the [[8th century]], the island was called "monte tombe". According to legend, [[Michael (archangel)|St. Michael the Archangel]] appeared to [[St. Aubert]], [[bishop of Avranches]], in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel's instruction, until St. Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10551a.htm Catholic encyclopedia]</ref>

The mount gained strategic significance in 933 when William "Long Sword", [[William I, Duke of Normandy]], annexed the [[Cotentin Peninsula]], definitively placing the mount in [[Normandy]]. It is depicted in the [[Bayeux Tapestry]], which commemorates the 1066 [[Norman conquest]] of [[England]]. Ducal patronage financed the spectacular [[Norman architecture]] of the abbey in subsequent centuries.

In 1067, the monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel gave its support to duke [[William I of England|William of Normandy]] in his claim to the throne of England. It was rewarded with properties and grounds on the English side of the Channel, including a small island located at the west of [[Cornwall]], which, modelled after the Mount, became a [[Normans|Norman]] priory named [[St Michael's Mount]] of Penzance.

During the [[Hundred Years' War]] the [[Kingdom of England|English]] made repeated assaults on the island but were unable to seize it due to the abbey's improved fortifications. ''Les Michelettes'', two wrought-iron [[bombard (weapon)|bombards]] left by the English in their failed 1423–24 siege of Mont-Saint-Michel, are still displayed near the outer defense wall.

When [[Louis XI of France]] founded the [[Order of Saint Michael]] in 1496 he intended that the abbey church of Mont Saint-Michel be the chapel for the order, but because of its great distance from Paris his intention could never be realized.

The wealth and influence of the abbey extended to many daughter foundations, including [[St Michael's Mount]] in Cornwall. However, its popularity and prestige as a centre of [[pilgrimage]] waned with the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]], and by the time of the [[French Revolution]] there were scarcely any monks in residence. The abbey was closed and converted into a [[prison]], initially to hold clerical opponents of the republican régime. High-profile political prisoners followed, but by 1836 influential figures, including [[Victor Hugo]], had launched a campaign to restore what was seen as a national architectural treasure. The prison was finally closed in 1863, and the mount was declared a historic monument in 1874. The Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay were added to the [[UNESCO]] list of [[World Heritage Site]]s in 1979, as it was listed with criteria such as cultural, historical, and architectural significance, as well as human-created and natural beauty.<ref>[http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/80 UNESCO]</ref>

===Development===
<gallery>
Image:200506 - Mont Saint-Michel 50 - Maquette.JPG|10th century
Image:200506 - Mont Saint-Michel 51 - Maquette.JPG|11th to 12th century
Image:200506 - Mont Saint-Michel 52 - Maquette.JPG|17th to 18th century
Image:200506 - Mont Saint-Michel 53 - Maquette.JPG|20th century
</gallery>

===Heraldry===
{{Blazon-arms
| img1=Blason_ville_fr_Mont-Saint-Michel_(Manche).svg
| legend1=Arms of Mont Saint-Michel
| text=The arms of Mont Saint-Michel are [[blazon]]ed :<br />''Azure two fesses wavy vert overall two salmon in pale bendwise sinister argent the one in chief contourny''.
}}

==Design==
[[Image:Plan.mont.Saint.Michel.png|thumb|Plan of the mount by [[Eugène Viollet-le-Duc]]]]

[[William de Volpiano]], the Italian architect who had built the [[Abbey of Fécamp]] in Normandy, was chosen as building [[general contractor|contractor]] by [[Richard II of Normandy]] in the 11th century. He designed the [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] church of the abbey, daringly placing the [[crossing (architecture)|transept crossing]] at the top of the mount. Many underground [[crypt]]s and [[chapel]]s had to be built to compensate for this weight; these formed the basis for the supportive upward structure that can be seen today. Today Mont-Saint-Michel is seen as a [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]]-style church.

Robert de Thorigny, a great supporter of [[Henry II of England]] (who was also [[Duke of Normandy]]), reinforced the structure of the buildings and built the main [[facade|façade]] of the church in the 12th century. In 1204 the Breton Guy de Thouars, allied to the King of France, undertook the siege of the Mount. After having set fire to the village and having massacred the population, he was obliged to beat a retreat under the powerful walls of the abbey. Unfortunately, the fire which he himself lit extended to the buildings, and the roofs fell prey to the flames. Horrified by the cruelty and the exactions of his Breton ally, [[Philip II of France|Philip Augustus]] offered Abbot [[Jourdain]] a grant for the construction of a new Gothic-style architectural set which included the addition of the [[refectory]] and [[cloister]].

[[Charles VI of France|Charles VI]] is credited with adding major fortifications to the abbey-mount, building towers, successive courtyards and strengthening the ramparts.

==Tides==
[[Image:Couesnon mud.jpg|thumb|Thick mud is exposed on the banks of the river Couesnon at low tide.]]
The tides in the area change quickly, and have been described by Victor Hugo as "''à la vitesse d'un cheval au galop''" or "as swiftly as a galloping horse".

The tides can vary greatly, at roughly {{convert|14|m}} between high and low water marks. Popularly nicknamed "St. Michael in peril of the sea" by medieval [[pilgrim]]s making their way across the flats, the mount can still pose dangers for visitors who avoid the causeway and attempt the hazardous walk across the sands from the neighbouring coast.

Polderisation and occasional flooding created [[salt marsh]] meadows that were found to be ideally suited to grazing sheep. The well-flavoured meat that results from the diet of the sheep in the ''pré salé'' (salt meadow) makes ''agneau de pré-salé'' (salt meadow lamb), a local specialty that may be found on the menus of restaurants that depend on income from the many visitors to the mount.

==Administration==

[[File:Normandie Manche Mont1 tango7174.jpg|thumb|left|The cloister]]

The islet belongs to the French [[commune in France|commune]] of Le Mont-Saint-Michel, of the [[Manche]] ''[[département in France|département]]'', in the [[Basse-Normandie]] ''[[région in France|région]]''. Population (1999): 50. The nearest major town, with an [[SNCF]] train station, is [[Pontorson]]. Mont-Saint-Michel belongs to the [[Organization of World Heritage Cities]].

The Mont-Saint-Michel has also been the subject of traditional, but nowadays good-humoured, rivalry between Normans and Bretons. Bretons claim that, since the Couesnon River marks the traditional boundary between [[Normandy]] and [[Brittany]], it is only because the river has altered its course over the centuries that the mount is on the Norman side of the frontier. This legend amuses the frontier inhabitants who know that the border is not located on the Couesnon river itself but on the mainland at {{convert|4|km}} in the west, at the foot of the solid mass of Saint-Brelade.

==Mont-Saint-Michel in modern culture==

[[File:Mont-Saint-Michel 2008 PD 32.JPG|thumb|Statue of [[Archangel Michael]] atop the spire]]
[[Image:Mont St. Michel Spire.JPG|thumb|The spire of Mont-Saint-Michel is visible from the courtyard outside the abbey.]]
[[Image:Msmabbey.jpeg|thumb|The entrance to the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel leading out into the courtyard in front of the abbey.]]

*Mont-Saint-Michel is featured in the 1950 Powell and Pressburger film ''The Elusive Pimpernel''.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042432/ The Elusive Pimpernel]</ref>
*Mont-Saint-Michel and the ancient forest of Quokelunde are plot devices in the 1955 book for young readers, ''The Mystery Of Mont Saint-Michel'' by Michel Rouzé, translated by George Libaire; Henry Holt and Company - New York - 1955 (The original 1953 French novel: ''Le Forêt de Quokelunde''; Editions Bourrelier - Paris - 1953)
*The Mont-Saint-Michel was featured in the 1985 IMAX film ''[[Chronos (film)|Chronos]]'', in which an aerial view of the incoming tides are shown using time lapse video.
*The 1990 Bernt Amadeus Capra film ''[[Mindwalk]]'' was filmed on the mount.
*[[Mike Oldfield]] composed instrumental track dedicated to the Mont-Saint-Michel and released it on the ''[[Voyager (Mike Oldfield album)|Voyager]]'' album in 1996.
*[[Cornwall|Cornish]] [[electronic music]] artist [[Aphex Twin]] released a song entitled "Mt Saint Michel + [[St Michael's Mount|Saint Michaels Mount]]".
*The castle was featured in the [[Disneyland Paris]] ride [[The Timekeeper]].
*The Mont was featured in ''Impressions de France'', a movie shown at [[Epcot]] in [[Orlando, Florida]].
*Mont-Saint-Michel was also featured in a scene in the 2004 animated Disney movie ''[[Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers]]'', in which Captain Pete of the Musketeers attempted to drown [[Mickey Mouse]] in order to carry out his plot to take over France's monarchy as king without interruption. [[Black Pete|Pete]] even mentions it by name, telling Mickey before leaving the dungeon, "Enjoy your stay at the Mont Saint-Michel&mdash;they say the tide comes in faster than horses!" This is in reference to the cathedral's history as a jail for political prisoners, as well as Victor Hugo's description of the tides.
*According to the Making Of featurettes on the Extended Edition DVDs, the Mont-Saint-Michel, was an inspiration for the design of [[Minas Tirith]] in the 2003 film ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]'', directed by [[Peter Jackson]].
*The Mont-Saint-Michel was featured in ''[[Onimusha 3: Demon Siege]]''. The Genma had taken control of it and used it to house the time folder. The Mont-Saint-Michel was destroyed after the time folder exploded.
*The location, including the tidal speed, is featured in [[Sharon Kay Penman]]'s medieval mystery, ''Prince of Darkness''.
*In [[Bernard Cornwell]]'s book ''[[The Winter King (novel)|The Winter King]]'', the island is given the name Ynys Trebes and is the capital of the Armorican kingdom of Benoic. The book also gives a fictionalized portrayal of its destruction by the Franks.
*In 1913, the American intellectual [[Henry Brooks Adams]] wrote ''Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres''<ref>{{cite book
| last = Adams
| first = Henry
| title = Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres
| publisher = self-published
| year = 1905
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=RYIRp86RIgEC
}}
</ref>, celebrating the unity of medieval society, especially as represented in the great cathedrals of France.
*In ''La promesse de l'ange'', a novel by Frederic Lenoir and Violette Cabesos,<ref>{{cite book
| last = Lenoir
| first = Frederic
| coauthors = Violette Cabesos
| title = La promesse de l'ange
| publisher = Albin Michel
| year = 2004
| isbn = 9782226150811 (in French)}}
</ref> the main action takes place in the Mont-Saint-Michel.
* Appeared in the [[Roxette]] music video "Queen of Rain"
*French composer [[Claude Debussy]] frequented the island and possibly drew inspiration from not only the legend of the mythical city of [[Ys]], but also Mont-Saint-Michel's cathedral for his piano prelude ''La Cathedrale Engloutie''.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2493/is_1_56/ai_n16690164 Debussy's: La Cathedrale Engloutie]</ref>
*French author Maxime Chattam used the Mont-Saint-Michel as one of the main locations in his book ''Le Sang du Temps''<ref>{{cite book
| last = Chattam
| first = Maxime
| title = Le Sang du Temps
| publisher = Michel Lafon
| year = 2005
| isbn = 9782749902524 (in French)}}
</ref>
*Seen in the cover of Japanese musician [[Erika Sawajiri]]'s debut single [[Free (Erika song)|Free]].
*Seen in the cover of the North American release of [[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night]].
*Is referenced in [[Strike Witches]], as their base of operations is an ornate castle that resembles Mont Saint-Michel.
*Mont-Saint-Michel is used as inspiration for the novelette "[[The Bloody Chamber]]" by Angela Carter.

==Sister cities==
* {{Flagicon|Japan}} [[Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima]], Japan - where the [[Itsukushima Shrine]]; an [[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] is located<ref>[http://www.wikimanche.fr/Le_Mont-Saint-Michel Le Mont-Saint-Michel - Jumelage]</ref><ref>[http://www.l-co.co.jp/times/log/09/090522/28.html Nishihiroshima Times]</ref><ref>[http://www.miyajima-arimoto.co.jp/information/2009/05/post_27.html Miyajima Grand Hotel Info]</ref>.<!--[[Itsukushima Shrine]] is on [[Miyajima]] [[island]] ([[Itsukushima]]), in [[Hatsukaichi]].-->

==Additional photos==
<gallery>
Image:Mount Saint Michael SPOT 1182.jpg|Mont-Saint-Michel from Spot Satellite
Image:Mont st michel aerial.jpg|At low tide surrounded by mud flats
Image:Mont Saint-Michel France.jpg|Mont-Saint-Michel from the south
Image:Mont Saint Michel village.jpg|Some of the old buildings in the village
File:Tombelaine et le Mont-St-Michel vus depuis Genêts.jpg|Mt St Michel and Tombelaine
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Manoir de Brion]]
*[[La Mère Poulard]]
*[[St Michael's Mount]]
*[[Archangel Michael: Roman Catholic traditions and views]]
*[[Itsukushima Shrine]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*[http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/recensement/populations-legales/commune.asp?annee=1999&depcom=50353 INSEE population figures]

==External links==
{{Commons|Mont-Saint-Michel}}
*[http://www.i-newswire.com/pr233899.html Mont-Saint-Michel Celebrates 1,300 yrs of History]
*{{wikitravel}}
*[http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/accueil_gb.htm Official Mont-Saint Michel Tourist site (English version)]
* [http://www.tourisme-japon.fr/jnto150/ The 150 year anniversary of France and Japan in 2008] in French
* [http://www.st-malo.info/mont-st-michel.html Mont Saint-Michel Holiday Guide] Getting there, the abbey and other tourist sites {{en icon}}

{{World Heritage Sites in France}}
{{Manche communes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montsaintmichel}}
[[Category:Communes of Manche]]
[[Category:Islands of Normandy]]
[[Category:Islands of France]]
[[Category:Tidal islands]]
[[Category:Benedictine monasteries in France]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Manche]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in France]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in France]]
[[Category:Landmarks in France]]
[[Category:Car-free areas]]

{{Link FA|af}}
{{Link FA|eo}}
{{Link FA|eu}}

[[af:Mont-Saint-Michel]]
[[ar:جبل القديس ميشيل]]
[[br:Menez Mikael ar Mor]]
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[[da:Mont Saint-Michel]]
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[[el:Μον Σεν Μισέλ]]
[[es:Monte Saint-Michel]]
[[eo:Monto Sankta Mikaelo (Francujo)]]
[[eu:Mont-Saint-Michel]]
[[fr:Le Mont-Saint-Michel]]
[[ko:몽생미셸 섬]]
[[hr:Mont-Saint-Michel]]
[[id:Mont Saint-Michel]]
[[is:Le Mont Saint Michel]]
[[it:Le Mont-Saint-Michel]]
[[he:מון-סן-מישל]]
[[ka:მონ-სენ-მიშელი]]
[[lt:Sen Mišelio kalnas]]
[[hu:Mont-Saint-Michel]]
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[[ja:モン・サン＝ミシェル]]
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[[pl:Mont-Saint-Michel (Manche)]]
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[[zh:聖米歇爾山]]

Revision as of 00:25, 8 May 2010

Le Mont Saint-Michel
Le Mont Saint-Michel.
Coat of arms of Le Mont Saint-Michel
Coat of arms
Location of Le Mont Saint-Michel
Map
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentManche
ArrondissementAvranches
CantonPontorson
IntercommunalityCommunauté de communes de Pontorson - Le Mont-Saint-Michel
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Éric Vannier
Area
1
0.97 km2 (0.37 sq mi)
Population
 (2006)
41
 • Density42/km2 (110/sq mi)
DemonymMontois
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
50353 /50116
Elevation5–80 m (16–262 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
UNESCO World Heritage Site
CriteriaCultural: i, iii, vi
Reference80
Inscription1979 (3rd Session)
For the municipality in Canada, see Mont-Saint-Michel, Quebec. For the island off the coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom, see St Michael's Mount.

Mont Saint-Michel (Template:Lang-en) is a rocky tidal island and a commune in Normandy, France (Le Mont-Saint-Michel). It is located approximately one kilometer (just over a half-mile) off the country's north coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches. The population of the island is 41.

Formation

In prehistoric times the bay was land. As sea levels rose erosion shaped the coastal landscape over millions of years. Several blocks of granite or granulite emerged in the bay, having resisted the wear and tear of the ocean better than the surrounding rocks. These included Lillemer, the Mont-Dol, Tombelaine (the island just to the north), and Mont Tombe, later called Mont-Saint-Michel.

Tidal island

Mont Saint-Michel was previously connected to the mainland via a thin natural land bridge, which before modernization was covered at high tide and revealed at low tide. This has been compromised by several developments. Over the centuries, the coastal flats have been polderised to create pasture. Thus the distance between the shore and the south coast of Mont-Saint-Michel has decreased. The Couesnon River has been canalised, reducing the flow of water and thereby encouraging a silting-up of the bay. In 1879, the land bridge was fortified into a true causeway. This prevented the tide from scouring the silt round the mount.

On 16 June 2006, the French prime minister and regional authorities announced a €164 million project (Projet Mont-Saint-Michel[1]) to build a hydraulic dam using the waters of the river Couesnon and of tides that will help remove the accumulated silt deposited by the uprising tides, and to make Mont-Saint-Michel an island again. It is expected to be completed by 2012.[2]

The construction of the dam is now complete (it was inaugurated in 2009). The project also includes the destruction of the causeway that was built on top of the small land bridge and enlarged, to join the island to the continent, but also used as a parking for visitors. It will be replaced by an elevated light bridge, under which the waters will flow more freely, and that will improve the efficiency of the now operational dam, and the construction of another parking on the continent. Visitors will have to use small shuttles to cross the future bridge which will still be open to walking people and unmotorized cycles.

History

Mont-Saint-Michel was used in the sixth and seventh centuries as an Armorican stronghold of Romano-Breton culture and power, until it was ransacked by the Franks, thus ending the trans-channel culture that had stood since the departure of the Romans in AD 460.

Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, albumen print, ca. 1865-1895

Before the construction of the first monastic establishment in the 8th century, the island was called "monte tombe". According to legend, St. Michael the Archangel appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel's instruction, until St. Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger.[3]

The mount gained strategic significance in 933 when William "Long Sword", William I, Duke of Normandy, annexed the Cotentin Peninsula, definitively placing the mount in Normandy. It is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry, which commemorates the 1066 Norman conquest of England. Ducal patronage financed the spectacular Norman architecture of the abbey in subsequent centuries.

In 1067, the monastery of Mont-Saint-Michel gave its support to duke William of Normandy in his claim to the throne of England. It was rewarded with properties and grounds on the English side of the Channel, including a small island located at the west of Cornwall, which, modelled after the Mount, became a Norman priory named St Michael's Mount of Penzance.

During the Hundred Years' War the English made repeated assaults on the island but were unable to seize it due to the abbey's improved fortifications. Les Michelettes, two wrought-iron bombards left by the English in their failed 1423–24 siege of Mont-Saint-Michel, are still displayed near the outer defense wall.

When Louis XI of France founded the Order of Saint Michael in 1496 he intended that the abbey church of Mont Saint-Michel be the chapel for the order, but because of its great distance from Paris his intention could never be realized.

The wealth and influence of the abbey extended to many daughter foundations, including St Michael's Mount in Cornwall. However, its popularity and prestige as a centre of pilgrimage waned with the Reformation, and by the time of the French Revolution there were scarcely any monks in residence. The abbey was closed and converted into a prison, initially to hold clerical opponents of the republican régime. High-profile political prisoners followed, but by 1836 influential figures, including Victor Hugo, had launched a campaign to restore what was seen as a national architectural treasure. The prison was finally closed in 1863, and the mount was declared a historic monument in 1874. The Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay were added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979, as it was listed with criteria such as cultural, historical, and architectural significance, as well as human-created and natural beauty.[4]

Development

  • 10th century
    10th century
  • 11th to 12th century
    11th to 12th century
  • 17th to 18th century
    17th to 18th century
  • 20th century
    20th century

Heraldry

Arms of Mont Saint-Michel
Arms of Mont Saint-Michel
 The arms of Mont Saint-Michel are blazoned :
Azure two fesses wavy vert overall two salmon in pale bendwise sinister argent the one in chief contourny.



Design

Plan of the mount by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc

William de Volpiano, the Italian architect who had built the Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy, was chosen as building contractor by Richard II of Normandy in the 11th century. He designed the Romanesque church of the abbey, daringly placing the transept crossing at the top of the mount. Many underground crypts and chapels had to be built to compensate for this weight; these formed the basis for the supportive upward structure that can be seen today. Today Mont-Saint-Michel is seen as a Gothic-style church.

Robert de Thorigny, a great supporter of Henry II of England (who was also Duke of Normandy), reinforced the structure of the buildings and built the main façade of the church in the 12th century. In 1204 the Breton Guy de Thouars, allied to the King of France, undertook the siege of the Mount. After having set fire to the village and having massacred the population, he was obliged to beat a retreat under the powerful walls of the abbey. Unfortunately, the fire which he himself lit extended to the buildings, and the roofs fell prey to the flames. Horrified by the cruelty and the exactions of his Breton ally, Philip Augustus offered Abbot Jourdain a grant for the construction of a new Gothic-style architectural set which included the addition of the refectory and cloister.

Charles VI is credited with adding major fortifications to the abbey-mount, building towers, successive courtyards and strengthening the ramparts.

Tides

Thick mud is exposed on the banks of the river Couesnon at low tide.

The tides in the area change quickly, and have been described by Victor Hugo as "à la vitesse d'un cheval au galop" or "as swiftly as a galloping horse".

The tides can vary greatly, at roughly 14 metres (46 ft) between high and low water marks. Popularly nicknamed "St. Michael in peril of the sea" by medieval pilgrims making their way across the flats, the mount can still pose dangers for visitors who avoid the causeway and attempt the hazardous walk across the sands from the neighbouring coast.

Polderisation and occasional flooding created salt marsh meadows that were found to be ideally suited to grazing sheep. The well-flavoured meat that results from the diet of the sheep in the pré salé (salt meadow) makes agneau de pré-salé (salt meadow lamb), a local specialty that may be found on the menus of restaurants that depend on income from the many visitors to the mount.

Administration

The cloister

The islet belongs to the French commune of Le Mont-Saint-Michel, of the Manche département, in the Basse-Normandie région. Population (1999): 50. The nearest major town, with an SNCF train station, is Pontorson. Mont-Saint-Michel belongs to the Organization of World Heritage Cities.

The Mont-Saint-Michel has also been the subject of traditional, but nowadays good-humoured, rivalry between Normans and Bretons. Bretons claim that, since the Couesnon River marks the traditional boundary between Normandy and Brittany, it is only because the river has altered its course over the centuries that the mount is on the Norman side of the frontier. This legend amuses the frontier inhabitants who know that the border is not located on the Couesnon river itself but on the mainland at 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) in the west, at the foot of the solid mass of Saint-Brelade.

Mont-Saint-Michel in modern culture

Statue of Archangel Michael atop the spire
The spire of Mont-Saint-Michel is visible from the courtyard outside the abbey.
The entrance to the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel leading out into the courtyard in front of the abbey.
  • Mont-Saint-Michel is featured in the 1950 Powell and Pressburger film The Elusive Pimpernel.[5]
  • Mont-Saint-Michel and the ancient forest of Quokelunde are plot devices in the 1955 book for young readers, The Mystery Of Mont Saint-Michel by Michel Rouzé, translated by George Libaire; Henry Holt and Company - New York - 1955 (The original 1953 French novel: Le Forêt de Quokelunde; Editions Bourrelier - Paris - 1953)
  • The Mont-Saint-Michel was featured in the 1985 IMAX film Chronos, in which an aerial view of the incoming tides are shown using time lapse video.
  • The 1990 Bernt Amadeus Capra film Mindwalk was filmed on the mount.
  • Mike Oldfield composed instrumental track dedicated to the Mont-Saint-Michel and released it on the Voyager album in 1996.
  • Cornish electronic music artist Aphex Twin released a song entitled "Mt Saint Michel + Saint Michaels Mount".
  • The castle was featured in the Disneyland Paris ride The Timekeeper.
  • The Mont was featured in Impressions de France, a movie shown at Epcot in Orlando, Florida.
  • Mont-Saint-Michel was also featured in a scene in the 2004 animated Disney movie Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers, in which Captain Pete of the Musketeers attempted to drown Mickey Mouse in order to carry out his plot to take over France's monarchy as king without interruption. Pete even mentions it by name, telling Mickey before leaving the dungeon, "Enjoy your stay at the Mont Saint-Michel—they say the tide comes in faster than horses!" This is in reference to the cathedral's history as a jail for political prisoners, as well as Victor Hugo's description of the tides.
  • According to the Making Of featurettes on the Extended Edition DVDs, the Mont-Saint-Michel, was an inspiration for the design of Minas Tirith in the 2003 film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, directed by Peter Jackson.
  • The Mont-Saint-Michel was featured in Onimusha 3: Demon Siege. The Genma had taken control of it and used it to house the time folder. The Mont-Saint-Michel was destroyed after the time folder exploded.
  • The location, including the tidal speed, is featured in Sharon Kay Penman's medieval mystery, Prince of Darkness.
  • In Bernard Cornwell's book The Winter King, the island is given the name Ynys Trebes and is the capital of the Armorican kingdom of Benoic. The book also gives a fictionalized portrayal of its destruction by the Franks.
  • In 1913, the American intellectual Henry Brooks Adams wrote Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres[6], celebrating the unity of medieval society, especially as represented in the great cathedrals of France.
  • In La promesse de l'ange, a novel by Frederic Lenoir and Violette Cabesos,[7] the main action takes place in the Mont-Saint-Michel.
  • Appeared in the Roxette music video "Queen of Rain"
  • French composer Claude Debussy frequented the island and possibly drew inspiration from not only the legend of the mythical city of Ys, but also Mont-Saint-Michel's cathedral for his piano prelude La Cathedrale Engloutie.[8]
  • French author Maxime Chattam used the Mont-Saint-Michel as one of the main locations in his book Le Sang du Temps[9]
  • Seen in the cover of Japanese musician Erika Sawajiri's debut single Free.
  • Seen in the cover of the North American release of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
  • Is referenced in Strike Witches, as their base of operations is an ornate castle that resembles Mont Saint-Michel.
  • Mont-Saint-Michel is used as inspiration for the novelette "The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter.

Sister cities

Additional photos

  • Mont-Saint-Michel from Spot Satellite
    Mont-Saint-Michel from Spot Satellite
  • At low tide surrounded by mud flats
    At low tide surrounded by mud flats
  • Mont-Saint-Michel from the south
    Mont-Saint-Michel from the south
  • Some of the old buildings in the village
    Some of the old buildings in the village
  • Mt St Michel and Tombelaine
    Mt St Michel and Tombelaine

See also

References

  1. ^ Projet Mont-Saint-Michel
  2. ^ La Baie, June 2007, p.4, in French
  3. ^ Catholic encyclopedia
  4. ^ UNESCO
  5. ^ The Elusive Pimpernel
  6. ^ Adams, Henry (1905). Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres. self-published.
  7. ^ Lenoir, Frederic (2004). La promesse de l'ange. Albin Michel. ISBN 9782226150811 (in French). {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Debussy's: La Cathedrale Engloutie
  9. ^ Chattam, Maxime (2005). Le Sang du Temps. Michel Lafon. ISBN 9782749902524 (in French). {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  10. ^ Le Mont-Saint-Michel - Jumelage
  11. ^ Nishihiroshima Times
  12. ^ Miyajima Grand Hotel Info
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