MONT ST MICHEL, a curious rocky islet, consisting of a mass of granite about 3000 feet in compass and 165 feet in height, rises at a distance of nearly a mile from the shore in the bay of St Michel, near the mouth of the Couësnon, at the vertex of the angle formed by the coasts of Brittany and Normandy. The quicksands by which it is surrounded, and which stretch far to seaward, are exposed at low water, and highly dangerous to those who venture on them without a guide. Recently efforts at reclamation have been made, and amongst other works a causeway has been constructed connecting Mont St Michel with the nearest point of the mainland (near Moidrey); an unfortunate consequence of these operations has been that some portions of the ramparts of the island have been sapped by the altered tidal currents. The fortress-abbey, to which the rock owes its fame, stands upon the more precipitous side towards the north and west; the sloping portion towards the east and south is occupied by dwellinghouses. The strong machicolated and turreted wall by which the whole is surrounded is pierced only by a single gateway. The northward wall of the abbey (La Merveille), dating from the 13th century, is of remarkable boldness; it is 246 feet in length and 108 feet in height, is supported by twenty buttresses, and is pierced by a variety of openings. The single street of the island, leading from the one gateway up to the donjon of the fortress, is lined with houses, most of them used as lodging-houses by visitors and pilgrims; it contains an old parish church, and the house of Du Guesclin is also pointed out. The abbey consists principally of two parallel buildings of three stories each, that on the east containing hospitium, refectory, and dormitory, and that on the west the cellar, ...knights’ hall, and cloister. The knights’ hall is a superb piece of Gothic architecture, measuring 85 feet by 59, with three rows of richly-ornamented pillars. The cloister is one of the purest and most graceful works of the 13th century (1228). The church has a number of imperfect turrets, and is surmounted by a square tower of the 17 th century, with a statue of St Michael, which was crowned in 1877. The nave, which dates from the 11th century, is Norman; but the choir, which collapsed in 1421, has been rebuilt in the flamboyant style. Beneath is a fine crypt.
Mont St Michel was a sacred place even in the time of the Druids. It became a seat of Christian worship in the 8th century, when a monastery was founded upon it (with the usual miraculous accompaniments) by St Aubert, bishop of Avranches. It soon became a favourite resort of pilgrims, not only from all parts of France, but also from Great Britain and Ireland, and even from Italy. It was plundered by the Normans; but Rollo, on his conversion, made restitution. At the time of the Conquest it supplied William of Normandy with six ships, and received a considerable share of the English spoils. About this time the monks began to give themselves to learning and to collect a large library, and in the 12th century the establishment reached its highest prosperity. It was burnt by the troops of Philip Augustus, who afterwards furnished large sums for its restoration (La Merveille). St Louis (Louis IX. ) made a pilgrimage to Mont St Michel, and was afterwards very liberal to it. During the hundred years’ war it offered a memorable resistance to the English; and here, on 1st August 1469, Louis XI. instituted the order of St Michel, and held a brilliant chapter. A similar celebration was held by Francis I. During the religious wars the Huguenots made repeated unsuccessful attempts to seize the fortress; it opened its gates to Henry IV. after his abjuration. About 1615 the Benedictine monks of Mont St Michel were replaced by monks of the Congregation of St Maur; after the Revolution the abbey was used as a prison for political offenders. It is now an historical monument; it contains an orphanage, and is undergoing repairs.
[697 words — estimated reading time: 4 minutes]