France

 

MONT-ST-MICHEL

 

 The view of Mont-St-Michael rising from the rippling sands that surround it is one of the iconic images of France,but no matter how often you have seen pictures of it,your first sight of the real thing is quite spectacular.The 80m (260ft) high granite rock rising from the bay has a long religious history.Legend has it that the Archangel Michael appeared to the Bishop of Avranches and told him to built a chapel here.A settlement grew up around the base of the mount and it became a place of pilgrimage.

 In 966 the Duke of Normandy replaced the chapel with a Benedictine Abbey but in 1203 it was burned down by Philippe-Auguste`s troops.He made reparation for this by building the great Gothic abbey that we see today,although the fortifications were added by Charles VI.After a period of decline,Napoleon made the abbey a prison.In 1874,it was declared a national monument and restoration work began.Mont-St-Michael is separated from the mainland by 1km (0.6mi) of water that becomes a floor of shifting sand and mud at low tide.The causeway was built in 1879-before that pilgrims had to brave the tides that could sweep in and drown them.\in 1966 Benedictine monks made the abbey their home once more.The abbey is reached up steep,narrow streets lined with souvenir shops and packed with visitors.The buildings are easier to see in winter,when there are fewer people.