Mont Saint Michel

A full day trip from Cherbourg to Mont St Michel was an awe inspiring experience. Before the construction of the first monastic establishment in the 8th century, according to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared in 708 to the Bishop of Avranches and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. It is approx. 1000 acres surrounded by tidal ocean. On top is God, the abbey and monastery; below, the great hills, then stores and housing; at the bottom, outside the walls, houses for fisherman and farmers. It was only accessible at low tide to the many pilgrims to its abbey, but defensible as an incoming tide stranded, drove off, or drowned would-be assailants. The tides vary greatly, at around 14 meters between high and low water marks. The Mont remained unconquered during the Hundred Year War, a small garrison fended off a full attack by the British in 1433. The population today approx. 50. The reverse benefits of its natural defense were not lost on Louis XI, who turned the Mont into a prison. Thereafter the abbey began to be used regularly as a jail. One of France’s most recognizable landmarks, visited by more than 3 million a year (second to the Eiffel Tower), the Mont and it’s bay are now a World Heritage Site.