On the Edge of the English Channel Visiting Mont. St. Michel

SSD_7442On a small rocky island about a kilometre from the northern coast of France lies the fairy tale castle of Mont. St. Michel. Since the sixth century, monks in search of solitude have lived here.This architectural treasure was declared a historic monument in 1897 and was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.

SSD_7486Mont St. Michel has been an important pilgrimage center since A.D. 708 and it is said that monks built on the rock to get as close to heaven as possible. The climb to visit the Abbey was hard work -- to make our way to the top we climbed approximately 900 steps. After making our way to the top, we enjoyed the views overlooking the water of the bay.

The mount is best known for the medieval Benedictine Abbey andSSD_7624 steepled church that occupies most of this clump of rock jutting out of the waters of the English Channel. The actual abbey of Mont St. Michel is the reason to visit. Saint Michael, whose gilded statue decorates the top of the abbey's spire, was the patron saint of many French kings, making this a favoured sight for French royalty through the ages.

We toured the shops lining the monastery whSSD_7465ere Austin found a sword-like letter opener to add to his collection.

In 2001, after more than a millennium as a Benedictine abbey, Mont St. Michel's last three Benedictine monks checked out, and a new order of monks from Paris took over. Now it is open for tourists to enjoy.

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