Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
popularforpilgrims,who,inpre-causewaydays,neededtobeatthetidetogetout.They're
still a hit with tourists—even at the rip-off price they charge today (they're much cheaper
elsewhere). Pop in for a minute, just to enjoy the show as old-time-costumed cooks beat
eggs.
Youcouldcontinuethegruelingtrudgeuphilltotheabbeywiththemasses(allisland
hotel receptions are located on this street). But if the abbey's your goal, bypass the worst
crowds andtourist kitsch byclimbing the first steps onyourright after the drawbridge and
following the ramparts in either direction up and up to the abbey (quieter if you go right;
ation project may cause minor detours).
PublicWCsarenexttotheislandTIatthetownentry,partwayupthemaindrag,and
at the abbey entrance. You can attend Mass at the tiny St. Pierre Church (times posted on
the door), opposite Les Terrasses Poulard gift shop.
▲▲▲
Abbey of Mont St-Michel
Mont St-Michel has been an important pilgrimage center since
A.D.
708, when the bishop
of Avranches heard the voice of Archangel Michael saying, “Build here and build high.”
With the foresight of a saint, Michael reassured the bishop, “If you build it...they will
come.”Today'sabbeyisbuiltontheremainsofaRomanesquechurch,whichstandsonthe
remains of a Carolingian church. St. Michael, whose gilded statue decorates the top of the
spire,wasthepatronsaintofmanyFrenchkings,makingthisafavoredsiteforFrenchroy-
alty through the ages. St. Michael was particularly popular in Counter-Reformation times,
as the Church employed his warlike image in the fight against Protestant heresy.
This abbey has 1,200 years of history, though much of its story was lost when its
archives were taken to St-Lô for safety during World War II—only to be destroyed during
the D-Day fighting. As you climb the stairs, imagine the centuries of pilgrims and monks
whohaveworndowntheedgesofthesesamestonesteps.Keeptotheright,astourgroups
can clog the left side of the steps.
Cost and Hours:
€9; May-June daily 9:00-19:00; July-Aug Mon-Sat 9:00-23:00,
Sun 9:00-19:00; Sept-April daily 9:30-18:00; closed Dec 25, Jan 1, and May 1; last entry
one hour before closing (
www.mont-saint-michel.monuments-nationaux.fr/en
)
. Buy your
ticket to the abbey and keep climbing. Mass is held Mon-Sat at 12:00, Sun at 11:15, in the
abbey church (
www.abbaye-montsaintmichel.com
).
Visiting the Abbey:
Allow 20 minutes to hike at a steady pace from the island TI.
To avoid crowds, arrive by 10:00 or after 16:00 (the place gets really busy by 11:00). In
summer evenings, when the abbey is open until 23:00 and crowds are gone, visits come
with music and mood lighting (€9), called
Ballades Nocturnes
. It's worth paying a second
