Written TidbitsMont St. Michel 1

By Jim and Emmy Humberd

In all of our wandering across the countryside we were careful not to miss 'le Mont-St.-Michel.' If we needed a reason to tour this part of France, we have found it. The limitations of the English language: how do we relate all the stories about other places we have visited, and still have the words needed to describe this 'wonder.'

The origin of the abbey dates from the 700s, and from 1200s to the 1500s the original was replaced by a series of Romanesque and Gothic churches, built on a 250 foot high, very-hard granite rock with sheer sides.

Mont-St.-Michel was used as a prison for political prisoners during the French revolution, and was a general prison until 1863. The original furniture and fittings were destroyed, and it wasn't until 1874 that it was preserved as a tourist attraction. In 1966 monks returned, permitting public worship.

One year as we approached Mont-St.-Michel from the east on the 'little' road near the coast, our first sight of the cathedral was across a mile of grassy pasture with grazing sheep and cows in the foreground. Once we arrived at the point where the causeway leaves the coast, there were still two kilometers of awe and wonderment as we continued to the parking lot near the Outer Gate.

We entered the town at sea level through the Outer Gate, and then followed the Grand-Rue, the narrow uphill main street lined with restaurants and souvenir shops. The street ends at a long flight of steps leading to the Merveille (the Marvel), the superb Gothic buildings on the north side of the Mont, and at the very top, the Abbey Church culminates in a tower 500 feet above the sea. It is quite a climb to the entrance of the church, 258 feet above sea level. The steep street, followed by uncounted steps, leads first to a need to sit and rest.

About 300 rooms are available in hotels on the island, and several hotels and campsites are on the mainland, at the end of the causeway. In the kitchen of one of the expensive restaurants, a young lady, in costume, was using a whisk to beat something in a large copper bowl. With a stern look on her face, she kept a steady rhythmic beat as she prepared a patron's dinner. We've seen this same lady, playing this same musical cadence, on a TV Travelogue.

Books by Jim and Emmy Humberd:
Invitation to France
Invitation to Germany
Invitation to Italy

Related Links:
Mont Saint Michel
Mont Saint-Michel Abbey

Hotel near Mont St. Michael:
Hotel Le Moulin de Ducey ***

French Video Immersion