France's Historic Mont-Saint Michel Abbaye Celebrates 1000 Years - Legendary Place of St. Michael's Victory over Satan
With more than 1.335 million visitors in 2010, the abbey is among the most visited cultural sites in France.
How did it all start from a dream?
The history of Mont-Saint-Michel began in 708 , after the Archangel Michael appeared to Bishop Aubert three times in a dream. Saint Michel would have asked him to build a sanctuary in his honor on an island called Mont-Tombe.
According to the legend, it is no coincidence that St. Michael chose this location for the church. Some believe that it was on this mount that St. Michael won his mighty victory over the dragon, described in the New Testament’s Book of Revelations (12:7-9):
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not… the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him".
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not… the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him".
The construction of this first oratory echoes that of the first sanctuary built for the Archangel, on Mount Gargan in the province of Puglia in Italy, but above all to the rise of Christianity at that time in the West.
In 966, Duke Richard I of Normandy installed Benedictine monks on the Mont, those monks who obeyed the rule of Saint Benedict.
From the installation of the monks and the construction of the Romanesque abbey began according to tradition in 1023, the Mount became an essential place of pilgrimage throughout the Christian West . They come to seek protection and salvation of their soul from Saint Michael.
In parallel, the abbey begins to produce, preserve and study a large number of manuscripts . It then became a major center of culture during the Middle Ages. A true political and intellectual crossroads, the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel welcomes pilgrims of all backgrounds , including several kings of France and England, such as Henri II Plantagenêt, Saint Louis, Louis XI, Anne of Brittany, François I…
A strategic point in the heart of the bay, the abbey was also a fortress of the Duchy of Normandy during the Middle Ages.
In the 17th century, pilgrimages ran out of steam. Nevertheless, the monks (Maurists, from now on) must quickly face the arrival of prisoners imprisoned by letters of cachet in an abbey which is gradually being transformed into a prison . It is then nicknamed the Bastille of the Seas . During the French Revolution, the State nationalized the property of the clergy and the monks were then expelled from the abbey.
This prison period, although dark, helped save the abbey from complete destruction.
When the prison closed its doors for good in 1863, the abbey was totally dilapidated . At the same time, the concept of heritage was born and the abbey was classified as a Historic Monument in 1874 . From that moment restoration work was launched and the surroundings of Mont-Saint-Michel were developed to receive the first tourists in its history .
Following the celebration of the monastic millennium in 1965-1966, a small community of Benedictine monks came to settle in the abbey in 1969. In 2001, it was replaced by the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem . Today, a dozen monks and nuns live within this national monument.
THE "Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay» are registered in 1979 on the list of the world heritage by UNESCO , it is one of the first French cultural goods to appear there. Twenty years later, the ensemble is once again listed, this time as a serial property of the "Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France". This double recognition illustrates the universal and exceptional value of the site.
The abbey is now managed, animated and open to the public by theNational Monuments Centerand thePublic Establishment of Mont-Saint-Michel
.
Sources: https://www.france-justforyou.com/blog/the-legends-of-mont-saint-michel and https://www.abbaye-mont-saint-michel.fr/decouvrir/histoire-du-monument
In 966, Duke Richard I of Normandy installed Benedictine monks on the Mont, those monks who obeyed the rule of Saint Benedict.
From the installation of the monks and the construction of the Romanesque abbey began according to tradition in 1023, the Mount became an essential place of pilgrimage throughout the Christian West . They come to seek protection and salvation of their soul from Saint Michael.
In parallel, the abbey begins to produce, preserve and study a large number of manuscripts . It then became a major center of culture during the Middle Ages. A true political and intellectual crossroads, the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel welcomes pilgrims of all backgrounds , including several kings of France and England, such as Henri II Plantagenêt, Saint Louis, Louis XI, Anne of Brittany, François I…
A strategic point in the heart of the bay, the abbey was also a fortress of the Duchy of Normandy during the Middle Ages.
In the 17th century, pilgrimages ran out of steam. Nevertheless, the monks (Maurists, from now on) must quickly face the arrival of prisoners imprisoned by letters of cachet in an abbey which is gradually being transformed into a prison . It is then nicknamed the Bastille of the Seas . During the French Revolution, the State nationalized the property of the clergy and the monks were then expelled from the abbey.
This prison period, although dark, helped save the abbey from complete destruction.
When the prison closed its doors for good in 1863, the abbey was totally dilapidated . At the same time, the concept of heritage was born and the abbey was classified as a Historic Monument in 1874 . From that moment restoration work was launched and the surroundings of Mont-Saint-Michel were developed to receive the first tourists in its history .
Following the celebration of the monastic millennium in 1965-1966, a small community of Benedictine monks came to settle in the abbey in 1969. In 2001, it was replaced by the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem . Today, a dozen monks and nuns live within this national monument.
THE "Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay» are registered in 1979 on the list of the world heritage by UNESCO , it is one of the first French cultural goods to appear there. Twenty years later, the ensemble is once again listed, this time as a serial property of the "Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France". This double recognition illustrates the universal and exceptional value of the site.
The abbey is now managed, animated and open to the public by theNational Monuments Centerand thePublic Establishment of Mont-Saint-Michel
.
Sources: https://www.france-justforyou.com/blog/the-legends-of-mont-saint-michel and https://www.abbaye-mont-saint-michel.fr/decouvrir/histoire-du-monument
Images : Pixabay
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