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Posts Tagged ‘Mont-Saint-Michel’

The abbey church at the very top

The architecture of the abbey is unlike any other monastery in the world. The builders were constrained by the pyramidal shape of the location so they wrapped the buildings around the granite rock. The abbey church is located at the very top and stands on crypts that created platforms to hold the weight of the church. I will stop with the architecture lesson ; ) after I tell you one other piece of information. The architectural mastery that was needed to succeed at perching the equivalent of a 3-storey building that was approximately two blocks long (in the 11th century) is mind boggling to me. This took unbelievable precise and technical calculations. Seriously jaw-dropping stuff when you think about it!

Oh, as a side note…if you ever plan to visit France, seriously start climbing stairs and I mean LOTS of them months before you arrive! They love spiral staircase and many buildings still do not have elevators. This is why they can eat bread and pastries and still be thin! They walk, walk, walk and climb lots of stairs everyday! Just a friendly FYI ; )

Abbey church at the very top of Mont-Saint-Michel

Flower garden and walkway at the top

Mont-Saint-Michel

I have wanted to return to this place since I saw it for the first time…over 25 years ago!! The history of this place dates back to 708! That is not a typo either. There was a sanctuary built on Mont-Tombe nearby and soon it became a focus of pilgrimage. The Benedictines settled in the abbey and then a village grew up around it.

It is quite an astonishing sight to see! It is still amazing to me how some of these places were built so long ago.  They truly are works of art.

And YES, I did walk all the way to the top!!! = )

Another view heading to the top

View from top. When the tide is in, Mont-Saint-Michel is surrounded by the ocean.