Discover Mont-Saint-Michel: A UNESCO World Heritage Treasure

Rising out of the bay like a sandcastle on steroids, Mont-Saint-Michel has been attracting tourists and pilgrims for centuries. Thick fortress walls make up its base, above those rises the village. Climb up further and you will reach the pinnacle of the rocky outcrop where the abbey and church loom over the sandbanks below. When the dramatic high tides roll in, the Mont emerges majestically out of the water.

This stunning site, set in a bay shared by Normandy and Brittany, was founded as a religious sanctuary in 708 and, in 966, Benedictine monks began work on the abbey. Added to over the centuries, it is an architectural wonder, and its natural landscape plays host to a wealth of wildlife. However, do not be tempted to reach it alone; the bay harbors a deadly secret—quicksand.

See a Mysterious Skull

Mont-Saint-Michel, originally known as Mont Tombe, is said to have been founded after Archangel Michael appeared in a dream to Aubert, bishop of Avranches, ordering him to build an oratory on the nearby island. It seemed like an impossible request, so Aubert chose to ignore him. The archangel appeared again, and Aubert was still not persuaded. By the third visit, the exasperated archangel poked the bishop in the head, burning a hole into Aubert’s skull. Consequently, he finally took notice, and thus Mont-Saint-Michel came to be.

Saint Aubert’s skull is normally kept in Avranches, but this year it will be on display at Mont-Saint-Michel as part of the 1000th year anniversary of the abbey’s church. Various events will mark the occasion, including the exhibition The Archangel’s Home: Art, Architecture and Devotion in the Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey’s Church (1023-2023), which will take place from 20 May to 5 November. The skull remains a mystery—some say it belongs to a man who had been subjected to trepanning.

Witness High Tide Drama

The tides in the bay create quite a spectacle; the difference between low and high tide can reach up to 15 meters, especially during a ‘spring’ tide that occurs just after each full and new moon.

Around the Mont, the sea withdraws by around 15 kilometers from the coast and then rises rapidly. There is a saying that the tide races in at the speed of a galloping horse—not quite accurate, but it is indeed fast!