France’s Mont St. Michel Is An Inspirational Stop

Rising sharply out of the sandy flatlands of Normandy, Mont St. Michel looks like a stone spaceship poised to blast off to kingdom come.

The image is no mistake. The brilliant builders of the monastery on France’s Atlantic coast designed it more than a half-millenium before man walked on the moon to appear as if it were soaring to God in heaven.

The graceful ramparts atop an outcropping of granite were meant to inspire the faithful. The sheer walls of Mont St. Michel reach skyward in a spiritual hosanna, impregnable to temporal attack.

For 1,000 years “Le Mont” has been one of Christendom’s great spiritual way stations. A place closer to God, where prayers might better be heard.

In medieval times, pilgrims would walk across the mud flats at the mouth of the Couesnon River to reach the abbey. But twice a day, roaring tides would reclaim the flats, leaving the Mont an island.

Dawdling pilgrims were sometimes swept away in the dark by evening tides that one medieval writer said came in at “the speed of a galloping horse.” Silting has slowed the tides to a trot and a causeway built in 1877 gives permanent access to Mont St. Michel.

The “Miracle of the Western World” got its start in the early eighth century. Bishop Aubert of Avranches went to what was then called Mont Tombe to meditate. He had a vision of the Archangel Michael (Michel in French) hovering over him, with flowing robes and sword in hand.

Pilgrims were soon flocking to the site and a small abbey was built. As Mont St. Michel’s fame grew, so did its population and the need for ever greater construction. Most of the great abbey seen today was finished by the late 18th century.

During the French Revolution, the abbey was sacked and the church converted into a prison. Afterward, it was an abandoned ruin until it was declared a national monument in 1874.

Restorers rebuilt the abbey and added a belltower. In 1966, the Benedictines returned and their prayers rose from the Mont for the first time in 177 years.

Three million tourists now visit Mont St. Michel each year, following the route laid out more than 500 years ago along the Grande Rue with its shops and cafes catering to visitors.

Travelers may be repulsed by the crass commerce on such a sublime site, but it has always been so along the Grande Rue. Like the “miquelots,” as the pilgrims were called, today’s visitors want a trinket to show friends back home that they have truly been to the saintly isle.

The trail leads through the town, stopping near the abbey gardens, which overlook the north face of the Mont, described by Victor Hugo as “the most beautiful wall in the world.”

Inside the cool recesses of the abbey, the steps grow steeper. On one side is an open terrace called Gautier’s Leap, so named for a prisoner who chose to break free from his captors and jump to his death rather than face years rotting in the island’s dungeon.

The reward at the end of the heart-pounding trek is the West Terrace in front of the abbey church. There’s a feeling of being aloft over the sea, with a stiff ocean breeze pummeling your eyes and eardrums. In the distance is Mount Dol, where legend says St. Michael wrestled with Satan.

Inside the church, the wind is just a faint whistle. The thin Romanesque nave is aligned to be brightest on May 8, the Feast of St. Michael.

Next stop is La Merveille - “the marvel,” the three-story monastic enclave constructed in just 16 years.

Visitors begin on the top level, at the elegant open-air cloister, surrounded by delicate English marble columns from the 13th century.

Here monks once meditated and chanted prayers. An unfortunate modern addition is a huge symbolic clear plastic Bible in the cloister courtyard.

The tour goes on to the graceful Salle des Chevaliers (Knight’s Hall), noted for its ribbed vaults and decorated Gothic capitals.

To sit in the dimly lighted Refectory, where monks once ate their meals in silence, is to feel both the intimacy and loneliness of medieval monastic life.

Most evocative of all is St. Martin’s Crypt, a tiny barrel-vaulted chapel left in its unadorned Romanesque style, where monks could pray far from the plush trappings of the cathedral.

As night falls on the island, the hordes of day trippers return to their cars and buses, heading back to Paris or to resorts up the coast. Floodlights bathe the abbey and church in deep golden light.

The squawking of seagulls and splashing of waves replace the honking of horns and the clamor of the crowds.

Once again, Mont St. Michel is a rock in the sand, surrounded by the sea.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Getting there: Mont St. Michel is 201 miles west of Paris. Trains from Gare Montparnasse go to nearby Pontorson via Dol. From there take a public bus or taxi. Hang your hat: The best views are off the island, so it’s best to sleep at the Altea-K Motel or Hotel Mercure, near the causeway. On Mont St. Michel, the top choice is Les Terrasses Poulard, with sea-view rooms in elegantly renovated 16th-century houses. Beware - it’s a bit of a hike up to the accommodations. Good eats: Fans love La Mere Poulard (on Grande Rue) for its fluffy omelets. Critics say they’re all air and little egg. Go for the fixed-price lunch ($50) since dinner can set you back up to $150 for two. Further up the Grande Rue is Saint-Pierre, a nice brasserie serving shellfish and a fine fixed-price seafood dinner for $20. Know before you go: Walking Mont St. Michel is strenuous. There are no elevators, so be prepared for a workout. Avoid the crowds and heat by coming early or late. Don’t do the island as a day trip from Paris - the trip to and from, coupled with the long hike, is exhausting. Though the abbey itself is closed at night, evenings along the Grande Rue are charming and uncrowded.