For more than a thousand years, the distant silhouette of this island abbey has sent pilgrims’ spirits soaring. Today, it does the same for tourists. Mont St-Michel, one of the top pilgrimage sites of Christendom through the ages, floats like a mirage on the horizon.
– Rick Steves, from Rick Steve France
We left Bayeux after lunch and began our two-hour drive to Mont St-Michel, an island community in Brittany. I had seen pictures of Mont St-Michel before, and I found it surreal. David planned our trip – and kudos to him for that and for finding great accommodations in every stopover thus far – and he made sure we saw Mont St-Michel. It wasn’t on my bucket list before, but now it is and I can already cross it off my list. The road wound its way, and every now and then I would catch a glimpse of the abbey rising from the island in the distance. It is surreal to see it in person.
Approaching Mont St-Michel.
A vast mudflat surrounds Mont St-Michel and a bridge connects the island to the mainland. You can’t drive to the island. You have to park your car in these lots and take the shuttle over. We arrived mid-afternoon when the place was swarming with tourists coming and going. It’s a bit disorienting to see all these tourists and the hotels and restaurants crowding the edge of the main road. Still, we were excited the closer we got to the island.
The texture of the mudflats up close.
King’s Gate, which served as the fortified entrance during the Middle Ages, Mont St-Michel.
The Grand Rue of Mont St-Michel. This was taken on our way out, early in the morning, hence no stores open or tourists clogging the narrow street.
When we got off the shuttle, we wheeled our luggage through the cobblestone streets, up the narrow Grand Rue, main street, to check into our hotel. We followed the hotel clerk further up the street, and I wondered where our room could be and how would we remember where our room was! I’m glad we traversed higher because it isolated us somewhat from the tourist bustle on the Grand Rue. Our room was quiet and we had my desired room with a view.
The long and winding way to our hotel room, Mont St-Michel.
A cemetery on our way to our hotel room, Mont St-Michel.
Our room with a view during the daytime, Mont St-Michel.
Once we threw our luggage in and got oriented, we headed for the abbey, which was accessed by stairs leading you higher and higher on the island. Originally built beginning in A.D. 708, the current abbey is built on the remains of a Romanesque church, which was built over the remains of a Carolingian church. The abbey’s archives, which cover 1,200 years of history, were removed for preservation during WWII, though sadly most of it was destroyed during the D-Day bombing. Though many tourists and tourist groups were in attendance, the numbers dwindled, as it was late afternoon, and we took in the sights somewhat peacefully and took many photos without tourists.
It’s difficult to show photos of the abbey without having tourists in them, so we trained our cameras skyward, Mont St-Michel. Here you can see the soaring heights of the abbey.
Columns, windows, and light, the Abbey of Mont St-Michel.
Another angle of columns, ceiling, and windows, the Abbey of Mont St-Michel.
The enormous and barren rooms of the Abbey of Mont St-Michel.
From the information pamphlet at the ticket office: “The long history of Mont St-Michel is thought to date back to 708, when Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, had a sanctuary built on Mont-Tombe in honor of the Archangel. The mount soon became a major focus of pilgrimage. In the 10th century, the Benedictines settled in the abbey, while a village grew up below its walls. By the 14th century, it extended as far as the foot of the rock. An impregnable stronghold during the Hundred Years War, Mont St-Michel is also an example of military architecture. It’s ramparts and fortifications resisted all the English assaults and as a result, the Mount became a symbol of national identity. Following the dissolution of the religious community during the Revolution and until 1863, the abbey was used as a prison. Classified as a historic monument in 1874, it underwent major restoration work. Mont St-Michel has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1979.
A time of quiet reflection in shadows and light, Mont St-Michel.
The soaring ceiling of the Abbey of Mont St-Michel.
The columns of the cloisters, Abbey of Mont St-Michel.
A darkened room, the Abbey of Mont St-Michel.
A lighter corner of the same room as above, the Abbey of Mont St-Michel.
“Saint Michael, head of the heavenly militia, was of great importance to Medieval religious sensibility. In the New Testament, Saint Michael appears in the Book of Revelation: he fights and defeats a dragon, symbol of the devil. To Medieval man living in expectation and dread of the hereafter, Saint Michael was the one who led away the dead and put their souls in the balance on the day of the last judgment.”
In 1776, a fire destroyed the west end of the church, resulting in a terrace that opens up to a grand view of the Brittany coast and countryside.
When you step out of the massive room in the picture above, you come upon this grand view terrace, which came about when a fire in 1776 destroyed the west end of the church. Here’s a panoramic view from high above the Abbey of Mont St-Michel.
Another view. You can see the road and bridge leading to Mont St-Michel.
The fertile Brittany countryside from the view of the terrace at the Abbey of Mont St-Michel.
A closer look at the countryside with rows of trees that I have grown to love here and, surprise, bales of hay! From the terrace of Mont St-Michel.
Another view of the water, from the terrace of the Abbey of Mont St-Michel.
The other side of the island is water bound. One can get dizzy looking below and seeing this building at the base of the island, Mont St-Michel.
This seagull is used to tourists taking selfies and group shots, Mont St-Michel.
View of the abbey as we descend the stairs down, Mont St-Michel.
After the abbey closed, we also stopped by St. Peter’s Church, where a statue of Joan of Arc stands by the entrance, recognizing her association with St. Michael, whose voice came to her to rise up with the French against the English. The church is dedicated to St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen.
St. Peter’s Church is named after the patron saint of fishermen, Mont St-Michel. I am guessing that someone placed the soccer ball because France was making its way through the World Cup. Weeks later, the act must have worked because France indeed won the World Cup!
After dinner, David wanted to get photos of Mont St-Michel at night, all lit-up, so we strolled down to the mudflats and walked around to find good views while we waited for the summer sun to give way to the moon. It wasn’t cold, but it was windy. I decided to leave while it was still light, taking pictures along the way back to our room. Later that evening, David showed me his photos. You just can’t take enough pictures of Mont St-Michel.
Mussels and frites on Mont St-Michel. The food is fit for tourists. But no grocery store to get wine, cheese, bread, and charcuterie and eat with a view! Next time: Bring in dinner.
Waiting for the sun to go down on the mudflats, with Mont St-Michel in the background.
Looking up at the abbey on my way back to our hotel room, Mont St-Michel.
I gave up and headed back to our hotel room. Here’s our view from our room at night, Mont St-Michel.
The sun slowly goes down, Mont St-Michel.
The lights start coming on at Mont St-Michel.
The last picture David took before calling it a night. Beautiful, Mont St-Michel.
In the early morning, after our breakfast of chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and croissants, we hightailed it out of Mont St-Michel. While the food trucks were unloading their goods, tourists started streaming in, by foot, by shuttle. Like water from high tide, it would soon be inundated with tourists, and we were very happy to have seen the abbey and the village without too much tourist distraction. I’m fortunate that we were able to visit Mont St-Michel. Crossed off our bucket list.
Leaving Mont St-Michel as the food trucks unload and before the tourists start their descent.
Au revoir, Mont St-Michel!
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