Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey

Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey crowns the summit of the tidal island of Mont-Saint-Michel, in the bay between Normandy and Brittany, and is the reason most visitors make the climb. According to tradition, Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, founded a sanctuary here in 708 after the Archangel Michael appeared to him in a dream. Benedictine monks settled on the rock in 966, and over the following centuries they built one of the most remarkable monastic complexes in Europe, stacked on several levels around the granite peak.

The abbey church sits at the very top, with a Romanesque nave from the 11th century and a soaring Flamboyant Gothic choir rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its spire carries the gilded statue of Saint Michael by Emmanuel Frémiet, placed there in 1897. On the north side, the 13th-century buildings known as La Merveille rise in three storeys: the cloister, seemingly suspended between sky and sea, the refectory, the Knights' Hall and the Guests' Hall are among the high points of the visit. Lower down, crypts support the church on the uneven rock, and a great wooden treadwheel recalls the days when supplies were hauled up the walls.

After the French Revolution the abbey became a prison, a role it kept until 1863, before being classified as a historic monument and restored. Today it is managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux, and a small community of the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem keeps up daily prayer. The visit involves many steps and steep stairs, so allow time and wear comfortable shoes. Arriving early or late in the day avoids the busiest hours, and the terrace in front of the church offers sweeping views over the bay.