The Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization of France recognized Mont Saint Michel in France as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1979.
Mont Saint Michel – A World Cultural Heritage Site in France
Mont Saint Michel is an island featuring a unique and mysterious combination of architectural structures and nature. It is also the smallest island in France, often referred to as the rocky island.
Located in the Normandy region of France, Mont Saint Michel is more than 350 km from the capital, Paris, and just 1 km from the southwestern coast. Due to its small size, the island has a population of less than 50 residents, yet it attracts about 3 million visitors annually. This influx of tourists indicates the significant appeal of this petite island.
In the 8th century AD, this site served as a key fortress for France and was also the main church of the Saint Michel stronghold. This historical importance led to the island being named after Saint Michel. In ancient times, this land was part of the mainland; over millions of years, coastal erosion sculpted the land and rocks into this unique island.
Renowned as one of the top three tourist attractions in France, alongside the Eiffel Tower and Versailles Palace, Mont Saint Michel is always shrouded in mystery and holds a unique allure for visitors. The island features a monastery of the Benedictine order, topped with a spire that reaches straight up to the sky. The grandeur and the enigmatic exterior of the monastery resemble a fairy tale castle, making it a chosen filming location for Hollywood’s “The Lord of the Rings.”
At night, Mont Saint Michel takes on a captivating mysterious appearance. This enchanting quality has contributed to the island’s growing fame, attracting not only tourists but also Hollywood filmmakers.
The island’s mystery and its monastery are deeply rooted in its history. Legend has it that the Bishop Saint Aubert d’Avranches received three divine commands in his sleep from Saint Michel to build a monastery on the island. In 708, Saint Aubert d’Avranches fulfilled this divine wish, and two years later, in 710, the construction was completed. The island’s previous name, Mont-Tombe, was changed to Mont-Saint-Michel from that point onward.
The pointed top of the Mont Saint Michel monastery adds to the mysterious character of this architectural masterpiece.
Before taking its current form, Mont-Saint-Michel witnessed numerous historical ups and downs. After a significant fire in 922 that destroyed the original religious structures, including the Mont-Saint-Michel monastery, Duke Richard I of Normandy commissioned the construction of a Benedictine monastery on the island in 966. Although it was reinforced and expanded, the Mont-Saint-Michel monastery suffered another fire in 1203. The then King of France, Philip Augustus, allocated a substantial amount of his funds to reconstruct the church. In 1228, a new monastery was built in the Gothic style, with many structural elements still preserved today.
Previously, access to the island was only possible during low tide, but in 1879, authorities constructed a causeway connecting the mainland to the island.
Another remarkable feature that sets Mont-Saint-Michel apart from any other island in the world is its transformation with the tides. Few places in the world experience such rapid and dramatic tidal changes. Approximately 53 days a year, the tide reaches its peak, and the tidal ebb and flow occurs rapidly within just a few hours. This tidal variation creates a scenario where Mont-Saint-Michel appears as a fortress on dry land at times, and at others, it resembles a mysterious castle in the ocean. Perhaps for this reason, Mont-Saint-Michel was once considered a fort during the wars between England and France. Following this conflict, Mont-Saint-Michel also served as a prison for over 100 years, from the late Renaissance to the French Revolution. During the revolution, it became an actual prison, with many rooms in the monastery converted into labor camps housing hundreds of forced laborers. Today, Mont-Saint-Michel still retains the vertical systems used to transport prisoners. Inmates would stand inside large wheels and use their strength to turn the wheel, moving prisoners from the foot of the hill to the top. Under pressure from writers like Victor Hugo and Flaubert, the Mont-Saint-Michel prison was abolished in 1863.
To the outside observer, the island appears as a singular architectural structure with a large castle and several smaller buildings surrounding it. The entire architecture of the island is characterized by the Gothic style and is predominantly constructed from stone, giving the island a cohesive architectural appearance.
Previously, the island was connected to the mainland by a natural dirt path, which would only become visible during low tide; otherwise, access required a boat. However, due to the increasing number of visitors, in 1879, authorities constructed a dam connecting the island to the mainland. To this day, despite centuries passing, this island continues to attract visitors, gaining further global fame. Nearly 50 residents currently live on the island, earning their livelihood through tourism and hospitality services. Restaurant services and other tourism-related activities on the island are tightly regulated because the large influx of tourists poses a threat to this heritage site. Additionally, being an island, rising sea levels and wave erosion significantly impact the architecture of the structures here.
In 2009, UNESCO listed this cultural heritage as one of the protected heritage sites. Consequently, a dam was constructed across the river leading to the island to prevent flooding due to rising sea levels.
The local government is planning to build an electric vehicle project to serve tourists visiting the island, aiming to reduce pollution to the environment and the overall landscape of Mont-Saint-Michel.
