Page 9 - Your travel guide Paris - Le Mont-Saint-Michel - SNCF Nomad Train

Looking back

The story begins in 708 AD when Bishop Aubert of Avranches founded an oratory on the
rocky islet then known as Mont Tombe. He dedicated it to the warrior archangel Saint
Michael, who had appeared to him in three separate visions.
In 966, at the request of Richard I The Abbey is a masterpiece of Norman
of Normandy, the Mont became a gothic design and testimony to the
Benedictine monastery. architectural skills of its 13 -century
th
The monks soon began building what builders.
would become known as one of the
greatest feats of religious architecture in Mont-Saint-Michel and its incredible
history. Bay—home to some of Europe’s most
dramatic tides—became a UNESCO
Overlooking the wide sweep of World Heritage Site in 1979.
Mont-Saint-Michel Bay, the Abbey drew
pilgrims from across the western world. In 1998, the Mount’s legacy was
A wealth of manuscripts were also recognized a second time when it was
produced, stored and studied here, listed as an official station for pilgrims on
earning Mont-Saint-Michel the name their way to Santiago de Compostela in
“City of Books”. northern Spain.
As a hub of political and intellectual life, This dual recognition reflects the site’s
the Mont attracted countless pilgrims, unique, universal appeal.
including several kings of England and
France.

©OTMSMN_Jimmy-Perrotte

9 SALT MEADOWS WITH VIEWS OF MONT-SAINT-MICHEL