Mont-Saint-Michel

A tidal island crowned by a medieval abbey, cut off from the mainland at high tide.

The bay around it has some of the biggest tides in Europe. The water level can change by about 14 metres between high and low tide, and for centuries pilgrims walked across the sands at low tide to reach the island. Today more than three million people visit every year, making it one of the most visited places in France. The island and its bay became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

History

The island was once called Mont Tombe. According to a legend written down in the 900s, in the year 708 the archangel Michael appeared to Aubert, the bishop of the nearby town of Avranches, and told him to build a church on the rock. In the story, Aubert hesitated until the angel pressed a finger against his head. In 966 the Duke of Normandy brought Benedictine monks to the island, and a great abbey church was built in the 1000s. During the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the island was never captured, and in 1433 a small group of defenders held off a full English attack. Later, the abbey was often used as a prison.

The tides

The flat sands around the island can be dangerous. The tide comes in quickly, and there are patches of quicksand, so medieval pilgrims called the place "St Michael in peril of the sea", and many drowned on the way. In 1879 a raised road, called a causeway, was built to the island, but it caused sand to pile up around the rock. In 2014 it was replaced by a light bridge on stilts that lets the sea flow freely again. Even this bridge disappears under water during the rare highest tides, as happened on 21 March 2015.

On the globe

The model shows the rocky island in Normandy with its medieval abbey at the very top. Look for the village and walls wrapped around the rock below the abbey.