Mont St. Michel
Culture
Mont. St. Michel has one important characteristic which changes daily, its location. Depending on the tide, the Mont. can either be in Brittany or Normandy, because it is an island just off the northwestern coast of France connected to the land by a tract of sand which emerges and disappears with the tides. The island was formed sometime during the 7th century when a gigantic wave crashed into the surrounding forest of Sissy and separated the Mont. The Mont got its name when an apparition of St. Michael the archangel appeared to St. Aubert a total of three times, and each time commanded him to build an oratory on the summit of the Mont (Michelin: France 165). Thus, there was a church built atop the peak of the island which was constantly being added to, and in the 10th century Benedictine monks were commissioned to take care of it. They built a sea wall and ramparts all around the base of the island, and it was subsidized in 1254 by Louis IX to become an ecclesiastical fortress. Yet, it burned that same century, and the whole thing was rebuilt in the Gothic style (Michelin: France 165). The original oratory had been known as Mount Tombe, but the once it was rebuilt in the 13th century it became known as la Merveille- the Marvel (Michelin: France 166). Within the walls people built houses and shops to maintain themselves, so that the rest of the island around the monastery became built up and fortified. The Hundred Years War besieged France during the next century, but pilgrimages to the Mont continued, and it was the only place in the whole of northern France that did not fall to the English (Michelin: France 165). Throughout its history as an occupied island, Mont. St. Michel has never been captured by attackers. ItŐs strength became associated with the spirit of France, and the rallying cry of Joan of Arc echoed this, "St. Michel-Montjoie!" (Michelin: France 166). In 1469 King Louis XI founded the Order of St. Michael as a demonstration of his power and eminence in France. In 1789 the Revolutionary government used the island as a state prison to hold such criminals as Robespierre, and a few remaining monks kept the practice of the struggling order alive until Napoleon ordered that it be restored and maintained in the 19th century (Moore, ed. 195). Today Mont St. Michel is an out of the way monument which has restaurants and shops, just like all other cities, to go along with its imposing cathedral and history. There is a special cuisine native to the area near Mont. St. Michel known as pre-sale mutton which comes from the sheep that feed on the salty marsh-grass along the coast.
Impressions
Our Planned Visit to the Mont
I am disappointed to say that we were not able to visit Mont. St. Michel, but the reason why we didn't is noteworthy. The Mont. is about ten miles away from the nearest city, and there are no major trains that run regularly to that city. Thus the best prospect for getting there is to take the train to Rennes, and then take the bus from there to Mont. St. Michel. The problem with that plan though is that it takes approximately four hours of travel time just to go one way, and there is only one bus that goes from Rennes to Mont. St. Michel, and back to Rennes in a day. Thus, you must allow two days to have time to the get out to the Mont., see the monastery and eat at La Mere Poulard, and then to get back.
-Nick Neises