Aerial View of Mont Saint-Michel's UNESCO Site

Fairy Tale Fortress: UNESCO's Mont Saint-Michel

In Normandy, France, a tidal island with a UNESCO-pinned abbey plays host to over two and a half million tourists a year; its imposing and picturesque silhouette has graced stamps, coins, and paintings for years. The camera slowly pans across the island, revealing its intricate architecture and the surrounding landscape. The abbey itself is an architectural marvel. As, “a major pilgrimage destination for centuries,” according to UNESCO, the abbey's 600 -year-old fortifications and Gothic design still stand tall. This is no easy feat, and the abbey’s resilience can be attributed to its strategic positioning perched atop a rocky outcrop, as well as its stonemasons, who build stable and strong walls.

Normandy’s medieval marvel and its dramatic backdrop

A UNESCO World Heritage Site worth seeing

Mont-Saint-Michel is a town and an island, but most of all, a medieval monument and its history. Begun in the 8th century, the building you see today is the result of 1,400 years of continuous habitation. It’s a town, and during low tide, you can walk or cycle from the mainland. The abbey was frequently an integral part of power and religion wars, serving as a prison during the French Revolution, as wars raged around it. Mont-Saint-Michel is also steeped in mysticism and legend. The people who first settled here believed its highest point, Le Mont Tombe, was a pagan burial ground. The first Benedictine monks (“Monks of Saint-Michel”) came to the island to build a church there in the 8th century. The abbey was renovated in the 1960s, with the life of the last religious recruited monks of Mont-Saint-Michel, and is a pilgrimage site for Catholics. It’s common today for tourists to undertake pilgrimages here in the modern-day sense, with a spiritual, and more, a mental journey. Mont-Saint-Michel’s dramatic backdrop makes it easier to envision the surrounding flat landscapes and rainy days that pilgrims once traversed.

Tides, causeways, and navigating the coast

The abbey, as beautiful as it is, has been a bit of a problem for tourists who come expecting to get in and out. Many visitors were stuck during the night because of the tide. According to the caption, the current causeway does not do a good job of keeping the island accessible at all times. This explains why tourists come to it via a shuttle when the tide is high. Given Mont-Saint-Michel’s popularity, the main causeway was transformed into a footbridge in 2013, but maintaining the island’s accessibility remains a puzzle. A “barrage” that would change the tidal flows, potentially solving the problem, has been floated as a possibility. However, it would disrupt the delicate ecosystem that Mont-Saint-Michel has been praised for.

Its story of mysticism and its power in France

The shaping of Mont-Saint-Michel’s power seems to be tied up with its mysticism. The first Benedictine monks who came to the island believed they were commanded by the archangel Michael to build a church here. “They built their church at Mont-Saint-Michel in 708, their monastery in the 8th century and a 9th-century crypt,” the caption says. For centuries this was a major pilgrimage site, and in 1874, it was named a monastery again. As wars raged, it remained a place of pilgrimage, with some of the most beautiful medieval art in the world in its walls. When visitors leave here, they don’t just leave with the abbey, but the region Marais Normand (Norman Marshes), including the Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel, or Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel.

Wander to the Origins of this Iconic Island

The sensational architecture of the abbey

Mont-Saint-Michel, the entire abbey, is considered a masterpiece of medieval architecture thanks to the severe Gothic style, as well as the independent buildings that were built on the steep outcrop. The abbey is divided into two parts: the Church and the Cloisters (the monks' living quarters and workspaces). The chapel dates back to the 12th and 15th centuries. While it’s not the original building, it was built as a replacement for the original building that had been destroyed by fire. The abbey also features the Merveille, a Gothic hall built in the 14th century, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The chapel’s stained glass windows are considered to be among the finest in France.

The regional uniqueness of Normandy

Normandy is a region that has seen an endless convergence of cultures, all of which have contributed to its unique identity. No other region in France holds such a long history. In the Middle Ages, Normandy was formed through battles that saw the emergence of the Normans, Vikings who settled in Normandy in 911 and conquered England under William the Conqueror in 1066. While many of the locals speak Patois (Normand), the region also features English words. Crosscurrents of languages remain in the region, as well as the food and wine.

Mont-Saint-Michel’s powerful geology

Mont-Saint-Michel is an island commune in Normandy, France, known for its grandeur and mystery. For the monks who lived there in the 8th and 9th centuries, this picturesque site was an ideal place to worship their deity. Although Mont-Saint-Michel, it is extremely tight and small, with an area of 0.2 km2, the abbey is there on the rock, and it was built to withstand any calamity.

Visiting the rocky wonderland

Exploring the city

To get to the Mont-Saint-Michel, visitors have to cross a causeway that allows vehicular movement at low tide as well as a shuttle when the tide is high. The causeway and Abbey's hall are popular tourist spots on Mont-Saint-Michel. At the top of Mont-Saint-Michel, the abbey is the main attraction, built on a rocky outcrop by Benedictine monks in the 8th century. The abbey is accessible by foot, bicycle, and car, but cars are generally banned due to safety reasons.

Visiting the abbey

The abbey is home to a great hall at the top, featuring the largest marble staircase in the world, carved in 1275. The abbey itself consists of three large levels, but the most iconic and largest hall is at the top. It’s worth noting that tourists wishing to visit the abbey will face some access restrictions. The abbey is home to five chapels: The Church of Notre-Dame / Marie, the Chapel of St. Martin, the Chapel of St. George, the Chapel of St. Peter, and the Chapel of St. Gabriel. Some of these chapels are smaller and less accessible, but the Church of Notre-Dame / Marie, the Chapel of St. Martin, and the Chapel of St. Peter are the most accessible. The abbey itself is a living museum that still holds some of the tradition and significance of its past. For example, the abbey’s bell tower is the tallest in France, and it still rings to bless the pilgrims and residents of Mont-Saint-Michel.