We could not leave Le Mont Saint Michel without first visiting the abbey at the top of the hill. Since there are only two trains a day leaving Pontorson, we decided not to rush and to take the evening train between Pontorson and Caen.
5.18 miles, sunny, 56 degrees, 78% humidity.
Richard’s ReLive video for the day is here: https://www.relive.com/view/vNOPzAEPwYq
In 708 the Bishop of Avranches had a shrine built on Monte Tombe in honor of the Archangel. In the 10th c, the Duke of Normandy established a community of Benedictine monks here.
Medieval builders wrapped the building around the rock to accommodate the pyramidal shape of the Mont. The abbey church at the top sits on a series of crypts that support the 80-meter-long church.
First we must make it through the maze of tourists in the town below the abbey.
This is the guardhouse to the abbey. After the Mont and abbey proved impregnable after the Hundred Years’ war, the abbey became a patriotic symbol of National identity.
This is a copy of the bronze angel atop the spire.
Visitors walk up the Grand Degre staircase with the church on the right and monks’ quarters on the left, linked by suspended walkways. A key architectural consideration was making sure monks could follow the rule of St. Benedict to pray and work.
This picture looking back towards parking and hotels shows the river at low tide. The dam has helped manage water levels on the wooden bridge, but there are still rare incidences when it is not possible to travel to the Mont when the bridge is covered by water.
Work on the church began in 1023. It is built on top of the rock and rests partly on four crypts built into the slope. The Romanesque nave has three levels: arcades, galleries and high windows and has always been topped by a framework.
The west terrace offers views of the bay and even further in good weather.
The cloisters allowed people to move between buildings, offered prayer and meditation, and sometimes religion processions.
The double row of slightly offset columns gave different perspectives, and the galleries offered more light.
The refectory is where monks ate their meals in silence with one monk reading from a window alcove. The windows are narrow and tall, not visible from the entrance. Here there is a temporary exhibition with a raised structure from which the design could be viewed.(Not open to the general public when we were there).
The Salle des Hotes is a magnificent hall used for hosting kings and noblemen. It is located below the rectory and has its own staircase.
This Gothic hall has massive windows to to make the space welcoming and light.
The chapel of Saint Madeline is next door offering a small space for prayer. Note the shells motif in the window.
The Gothic Crypt of the Great Pillars was built in the 15th century to support the choir above it after the first choir collapsed in 1421.
St. Martin’s crypt was built shortly after 1000 as the foundation for the southern arm of the transept of the abbey church. The vaulted ceiling spans 9 meters.
After the monks were expelled during the French Revolution, the abbey became a prison until 1863. The wheel was installed in 1818 to bring up food to the inmates housed at the abbey.
The Saint-Etienne Chapel was used for the mortuary cleansing and the vigil before deceased monks were buried. This Pieta is from the 15th century.
This north south staircase was a major thoroughfare for the abbey residents.
The Monks’ Promenoir is at one end of the staircase. It is a long double-nave hall in the monastary topped with a cross rib vault. This vault was a new innovation that was used in the Gothic period in the mid-12th century.
The Scriptorium was built to support the cloister, and is a large Gothic room where the monks would copy and study manuscripts.
The abbey gardens are part of the tour’s exit stairs.
One more view on the way down the stairs.
After lunch in the very crowded restaurant, (omelette and French onion soup), we head back to our hotel to pick up our left luggage. On to the next adventure after a train ride to Caen.
2 Responses
Your visit to Saint Michel was much more picturesque than our visit which was on a rainy day. Loved the night picture you took. Noticed you are still getting in at least 5 miles every day! Dan and Wendy
The weather makes so much difference—I’m sorry you didn’t see it sunny as we did. Actually I liked the clouds this day almost more than the cloudless first day. There are always places to walk and things to see.