The Mont St. Michel is one of our history’s most majestic and unique architectural works. Known as ‘The Wonder of the Western World’, this enduring French monument and World Heritage site resides in Normandy on the mouth of the Couesnon River, and close to the city of Avranches. With a background and development that stretches into even the present day, the site almost has a life story that’s gone on for more than 1300 years. It’s this quality which helps it relate to both ancient historical works and those beyond its time. It stands as a site with many experiences which have led to extended growth and development. As a result, it’s a rich landmark which carries both unique site details as well as elements of architecture which can be found throughout other periods of time. Throughout this analysis, we will take a look at the rather dynamic life of the Mont Saint Michel, and why I believe it to be timeless.
The life of the Mont Saint Michel begins with a religious tale of legend. During and prior to the eighth century AD, the landmark was merely a rocky islet known as Mount Tombe. It was Saint Aubert, the bishop of Avranches, who began the construction of a small church upon the Mount at the request of the archangel Michael. Aubert is said to have been visited by Michael in a series of dreams, and was initially hesitant to pay attention to them until. Only after having the Angel decide to burn a hole into his skull did he comply. A small oratory church was built in honor of Michael on the 16th of October in 709 AD. What we now call the Mont St. Michel is named after the archangel, and in English translates to ‘Saint Michael’s Mount.
Moving on to the construction of the site, its location is a thought provoking one to me. Since the Mont began as a rocky islet, it likely posed some natural limitation on building materials. The buildings are composed with granite, which had to be brought over by boat from other islands within the area. Moreover, Sand perhaps more importantly, the infamous tidal shifts surrounding the Mont creates further limitation with regard to accessibility. At least for the time.
The tides surrounding the Mont Saint Michel are said to be among the highest in all of Europe, and the site is most safely accessed during periods of low tide. Even today, with the changes that have taken place, there’s a dedicated page on the Mont Saint Michel’s official website about the timing of the tides, the dangers of visiting the bay area, and the speed at which high tides can roll in. This must’ve been even more dangerous for someone working to build a structure without the pathways and transportation means that we have there today. That being said, I think it’s a possibility that the distance between the Mont and the mainland was perceived as something ideal. Looking out at it today, it appears almost like a private island, and separate from the rest of the world. In fact, we’ll later find during the Hundred Years War that the islet’s isolation and tides also acted as a natural defense mechanism which helped to keep invaders away. It’s entirely possible that this unique characteristic was intended by someone, though it may seem like a nuisance.
From around the 11th century onward, the Mont sees progressive architectural development at the hands of several designers and under the ownership of several rulers. Architects from different periods of time, working from different vantage points and situations, each contributed something to the overall work that we know today. The wealth held by the Duke of Normandy during the 11th and 12 centuries allowed for that development to begin, with Italian Architect William Volpiano being handpicked to build the Abbey. By 1084, the Mont included a Romanesque Abbey with accompanying convent buildings for men and women of worship. Those who would come to the island to worship now had a more expansive place to stay and live. We see a community being forged, and this is when the Mont Saint Michel as we know it today begins to come about.
One of the most noticeable things about the Mont is the way that numerous smaller buildings line themselves about the coastline of the island, as well as the general vicinity below the abbey church. What you’re seeing here is the variety of shops, restaurants and convent buildings that help to make up the islet’s village. Historically speaking, as more and more people made their way to the island in order to pay their respects to God within the church, the Mont St. Michel became larger and more robust. The expansion of the site came about naturally as a result of needing to accommodate those who came to live and serve. The variety of attractions and services that now exist for both tourists and residents have made the Mont into a small city or town, with the church at the core.
I think that this sort of placement is both structurally and symbolically significant to the site. At the highest point of the island lies the church, representing God or faith, rising into the skies above the rest of the islet. People live their more ordinary lives and go about their business just beneath that height. From a distance, this detail captures and draws your attention immediately through a visual hierarchy. I find it interesting that you can follow the outline of the site and almost create a pyramid due to the spire of the church.
As the centerpiece of the Mont Saint Michel, the Abbey Church has also seen its fair share or changes. During the 13th Century, the original Abbey, the convent buildings, and the Mont itself were all damaged at the hand of Guy of Thouars, the Duke of Brittany, who made an attempt to siege the island and set much of it on fire. Philip Augustus, the King of France, offered religious leaders a grant to have a new structure built in the place of what was lost. The Abbey church of the Mont saw an expansion and rebirth through what became known as ‘La Merveille’ (‘The Marvel’). In addition to restoring the convent buildings, this update came with the addition of several new rooms including the cloister for silence and prayer, the refectory for dining, a room for the Hosts (la sale des Hotes), and even a room for Knights (la sale des Chevaliers). These renovations make the Mont Saint Michel feel grander, more alive and readily lived in. What began as a modest church on top of a hill is becoming a place for people to live and socialize together as well. It creates a sense of royalty to me, like walking through the various halls of a grand palace.
The Mont Saint Michel would come up against more war-time events and renovations during the next couple of centurie. In the advent of the Hundred Years War, which took place between 1337 and 1453, military constructions were designed to help fortify the Mont’s defenses and prevent its capture. This included three protective gates at the entrance to the Mont (‘Porte de l’Avancée’, ‘Porte du Boulevard’, and ‘Porte du Roi’), a drawbridge that defended the second of those gates, watchtowers to defend the causeway, rampart walls, cannons (known as the ‘Michelletes’). As stated previously, the tides and their unique influence on the site offered a barricade against invaders as well. Now, the Mont takes on yet another dimension here, carrying elements of a medieval castle. Furthermore, a large Gothic Style Choir Gallery was added to the Abbey due to the previous, Romanesque one being destroyed in 1421.
When looking at the complete history of the Mont Saint Michel, you could say that it’s a sort of culmination of western architectural styles and ideas coming together. We can find rounded Romanesque arches, Gothic spires, ribbed vaults and flying buttresses, Corinthian order pillars, an ‘organic town’ in the form of the village, and so on. I would say that site is almost like a living work of art. Through the many conflicts and adjustments that have led to the Mont Saint Michel being as it is, it stands the test of time and only expands in its beauty.
In much more recent time, a long-term effort was put forth to preserve the Mont Saint Michel as a historical site, and to ‘restore its maritime character’ (maritime meaning related to the sea). In addition to simply working to clean things up where parts were becoming dated, changes were brought to the site to make it more functional and accessible to current and future generations. Further adding to the site’s dynamic history and growth as a site. Officially known as “The Operation to Restore the Mont Saint Michel’s Maritime Character”, the project carried a 200 Million Euro budget, and ran from 2006 to 2015 under the supervision of the French government. The work primarily relates to the area just outside of the island. According to their website, one of reasons why the project began at all is due to sediment buildup, or the buildup of matter at the bottom of the waters surrounding the Mont. This came about over time as people intervened with the site in various ways. “Gradually the sea has been pushed back and land and salt marshes have taken over”. This posed a threat to the site, and it was projected that the Mont would be surrounded by salt marshes by 2040 if no intervention took place.
The first phase of the project was to create a new dam over the Cousenon River, replacing the one which had been built during the 1960’s. This was launched by the French Prime Minister in 2006, and completed shortly before 2010. Its purpose was to help flush away the sediment buildup around the island. Interestingly, this new dam is designed to take advantage of the Mont’s unique tides in an efficient and beneficial way. “With each tide cycle it uses the incoming tide to store a large amount of water behind its valves, before releasing this mass of water progressively at the end of the outgoing tide”. A more modern, scientific development for the site has turned what used to something of a hindrance into a tool that could very well save the site’s life.
From 2010 to 2011, access work for the Mont began. This includes things like extended parking locations, service buildings, reception buildings, and a pedestrian pathway to allow people to come to the Mont much more safely than in the past. The new car park location, as well as public transportation shuttles, were commissioned in 2012. The pedestrian bridge became open to tourists and visitors in 2014, seamlessly built into the landscape with wide spaces so as to allow visitors and pedestrians the chance to experience the site more completely. During 2015, the old causeway of the Mont, which is more than 100 years old now, was destroyed. Once again the Mont has become a bit more modern to welcome in more visitors.
Being able to follow the development of this project and its intricacies is fascinating to me as an architecture student, because we’re seeing a historical landmark undergo more significant changes in the present day. We can observe and understand why each of these things was brought into the construction of the site with a bit more accuracy than we could with the builders of many years ago, and yet we’re talking about the same site. Our methods have differences, but structure is something that to me has transcended time. We can talk about its historical growth, the church, the village, the crypts and so forth, but we can also talk about what’s being done to it now.
The Mont Saint Michel is truly one of human history’s most beautiful and dynamic architectural sites. Its location and surroundings make it very unique from the offset, and its dynamic history even more so. Yet, because its stood the test of time, and has undergone so many changes throughout history at the hands of people from different societies, its more than just a product of its time. It features architectural elements from multiple centuries, and now comes with modern elements as people work to keep this historical work alive. As time marches onward, it’s possible that the Mont Saint Michel’s island may go on to acquire more and more modern design elements, continuing to evolve and expand as an architectural site. It’s become much more than just the island that it began as, and you could call it a living, breathing work of art. This dynamic history is something that’s made the Mont stand out, and perhaps will continue to do so for years to come.
Research Sources ~
Image Credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/mont-saint-michel-abbey-normandy-4957008/
Site official de l’office de tourisme du mont saint michel. Edenweb, 2010. http://www.ot-montsaintmichel.com/index.htm?lang=en.
Link Paris. “Mont St.Michel History”. https://www.linkparis.com/mont-st-michel-history.htm.
Huddleston, Gilbert. "Mont-St-Michel." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10551a.htm
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. “Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay”. http://whc.unesco.org/?cid=31&l=en&id_site=80&gallery=1&maxrows=52.
Official website of the restoration operation of the Mont-Saint Miche;s maritime character. http://www.projetmontsaintmichel.com/index_uk.html.
Martin. “Discover the Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy”. French Moments. 19 Aug. 2013. http://www.projetmontsaintmichel.com/index_uk.html.
