Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France

Mont Saint Michel Island

For centuries, the Mont Saint Michel has beckoned travelers and the faithful from around the world. The small, rocky island off the coast of Normandy rises from the Couesnon River. Until 1879, the island was connected to the coast only via a natural land bridge, which was submerged when the Cuoesnon River was at high tide. The island was therefore cut-off from the mainland during high tide. This feature further highlighted the splendor of the island's prominent architectural feature - the Benedictine Abbey which rises like a castle towards the sky.

This paper examines the history and architectural character of this unique structure. The first part of this paper looks at the history of how this structure was built and how the abbey and the island has been used over the centuries. This section further traces how the Mont Saint Michel evolved from a cultural repository to an abbey, a dungeon and the world heritage site that it is today.

The second part of this paper then examines the architecture and design of the Mont Saint Michel, looking at the village structures as well as the abbey itself. It studies how the design of the structures have evolved and changed, especially since the eleventh century. It details how the structure has evolved from its original Romanesque design to exhibit the Gothic characteristics that the abbey is famous for today. It further details that various additions that the Mont Saint Michel structures have endured, as well as the geographical modifications done to the island to accommodate the massive architectural structures.

Towards the end, the paper also looks at the conservation problems that have arisen as a result of all this construction, and the efforts being made to safeguard this world heritage site.

History

The Mont Saint Michel spent centuries moving from the political and military control of different groups. From the sixth to the seventh centuries, the tidal island that was eventually known as the Mont Saint Michel was considered an Armorican stronghold. When the Roman conquerors departed Southern France in 459 AD, the island came under the control of the Romano-Bretons, who then fled when the island was taken by the Franks (Adams 22).

During this period, the tidal island was known as Mont Tombe. This name was most likely a reference to the island's isolation during high tide periods. Some historians also theorize that the name was a reference to the many people - pilgrims, other monks, and shepherds, for example - who died en route to the island. Many people and animals found themselves trapped in the quicksand-like bog, and were drowned as the tide came in.

The structure of the Mont Saint Michel that is familiar today took shape in the early seventh century, an effort spearheaded by Saint Aubert, who was then bishop of Avranches, located just across the Couesnon River. Local legends state that Saint Michael appeared to the bishop, with instructions for the building of a church on the rocky outcropping. Considering the logistical difficulties of such a feat, it is not surprising that Saint Aubert did not immediately follow through, that is, until Saint Michael reappeared and burned a hole into the bishop's skull. The island was therefore officially dedicated to Saint Michael in 708.

While the Mont Saint Michel is often ascribed religious importance, it also had political and military significances at various times in history. In 933, the Norman invaders embarked on a new conquest, beginning with the annexation of the Cotentine Peninsula. Because of its location between Normandy and Brittany, the island of Mont Saint Michel thus became a strategic jump-off point for the conquest of Brittany and eventually, the successful conquest of England in 1066 (Adams 57). The success of the Norman conquest is reflected in the elements of Norman architecture and design around the structures of the Mont Saint Michel. After all, it was Norman royals and ducals who financed the expensive construction of the monastery for the monks of the Benedictine order.

During the Norman conquests, however, the Mont Saint Michel and the Benedictine monastery began to assume great religious importance. In 966, the Duke of Normandy put the Benedictine monks in charge of construction on the island, a construction effort that would continue for the next six centuries. In the eleventh century, the Benedictine Abbot Hildebert II spearheaded the construction of a structure clinging to the top of the island's rocks. By 1520, Hildeber II's vision would be realized in the monastery and the church that continue to characterize the Mont Saint Michel to this day (Samway 445).

In addition to building the abbey on top of a rocky outcropping, the monks also built the Mont Saint Michel's reputation, by capitalizing on the legends of Saint Michael and Saint Aubert. Their efforts were successful, as the Mont Saint Michael became one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in the Christian world.

In addition to this religious importance, the Mont Saint Michel also gained acclaim for its impregnability as a fortress. It was impervious to Viking raiders. English warriors repeatedly tried to take control of the island during three long sieges connected to the Hundred Years' War, but failed, due to the heroic efforts of the Normans and also, to the fortifications of the abbey. Today, evidence of these failed assaults can be seen in the monastery walls, as well as the displayed bombardment weaponry that the English left behind (Decenaux 47). The Mont Saint Michel thus remained firmly in Normandy territory.

The wealth and fame of the Benedictine Abbey grew even more after the Hundred Years' War. It even inspired the creation of allied abbeys in places like Cornwall, England. However, the advent of the Reformation and the rise of Protestantism meant a drop in Catholic fervor. Mont Saint Michel's popularity as a pilgrimage site also dropped, and by the eighteenth century, there were hardly any monks left living in the abbey.

During this time, however, the Mont Saint Michel was again important for political and military reasons. The Benedictine monastery was officially closed, and the structure was used as a prison during the French Revolution, characterized by writers as a French Alcatraz (Samway 447). Ironically, in addition to high-profile political prisoners, the pilgrimage site that was renowned throughout the Catholic world was now used to house clergy who were critical of the new republican government.

By the late nineteenth century, however, the Mont Saint Michel and the Benedictine Abbey were now regarded as of national importance to the French culture. After all, it had assumed a mythic popularity, through a combination of its religious importance, its spectacular architecture and its heroic resistance to repeated assaults from the English conquerors. The campaign for the monastery's declaration as a historic monument gained popular support with the help of influential figures like Victor Hugo. In 1863, the Mont Saint Michel was officially designated as a national treasure of France by none other than Napoleon Bonaparte (Decenaux 121).

The Mont Saint Michel and the Benedictine monastery underwent major restoration work. The goal was to rebuild structures that had been damaged in repeated fires and bombardments, as well as restore the lofty abbey spaces that have been converted into dungeon cells during the French Revolution. It was not until 1969, however, that the monks returned and the Mont Saint Michel is once again a Benedictine abbey.

In 1979, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the Mont Saint Michel as a World Heritage Site. This designation was given in recognition of the island's cultural, historical and architectural importance. It is also recognized for its combination of the natural beauty of its cliffs and outcroppings, as well as the human ingenuity that went into the construction of its structures (Samway 446).

While the monastery continues to be a residence for Benedictine monks today, the Mont Saint Michel is now an important tourist venue. An estimated 1.8 million tourists visit the island every year, though few of those bother to climb the steep steps to the abbey. The Mont Saint Michel is the third most-visited site in France, topped only by the Eiffel Tower and the Chateau de Versailles.

Architecture and Design

The Mont Saint Michel had humble origins. In 708, after being burned by Saint Michael, the Bishop Aubert built a simple oratory on the island. It was a simple shrine to honor Saint Michael. However, as the island assumed strategic importance and as the Normans grew in wealth and power, the structures of the Mont Saint Michel were reflective of this new status.

In the eleventh century, William de Volpaino, an Italian architect, was assigned as the building contractor for monastery. He was charged with designing and laying the foundations for the Abbot Hildebert's vision of a grand cathedral structure rising from a rock (Adams 118). Towards this goal, the Italian contractor constructed a transept to be placed atop the mound itself.

Given that the island was under Norman control, it is not surprising that de Volpaino designed a Romanesque church for the monastery.

However, the Mont Saint Michel monastery also exhibited many of the pre-Romanesque characteristics that were seen in the other grand Benedictine structures, such as the one in de Volpaino's native Italy (Adams 125). Before the grand cathedral and monastery could be realized, the Notre Dame sous-Terre was its predecessor. Among its pre-Romanesque features include a polygonal dome structure forming a central core as well as decorations or spoils that were copied from Roman structures.

Like many orders, the Benedictine monks had strong hierarchies, and these were reinforced in the construction of the new monastery. The Benedictine abbey therefore incorporated Romanesque elements, such as multistory entrances to reflect the differing social status of the monks and pilgrims. The Romanesque elements of the Benedictine Abbey were also seen in the dome structure. Unlike the pre-Romanesque domes, the Romanesque vaults utilized masonry vaulting, to replace the flammable wooden structures of previous churches. Barrel vaults began to be used, extremely heavy elements which threatened to collapse the church. To compensate, the contractor then had to be made thicker. A complex network of underground crypts and chapels also had to be built, in order to provide support for the monastery (Adams 148).

Today, a few of the original Romanesque elements could still be seen. In the abbey, for example, the nave on the south side of the cloisters was constructed in the Romanesque style. The massive stone features of the monastery meant that the nave was located higher and was also narrower, compared to previous monastery structures.

In the Benedictine abbey at Mont Saint Michel, the nave sits on a three-level arcade, and was given a framework that was clad in paneled barrel vaulting (Decenaux 211). The doors and windows in this nave also are capped by round arches, another Romanesque element. The window openings were small and also decorated with the typical rich Romanesque sculptures and moldings.

Romanesque elements can also be seen in the design of the crypts, located at the crypts in the south side and the transepts of the church. The fine jointing and regular patterns of the masonry facings in this area are typical of the Romanesque style. Traditional Romanesque design elements are also evident in the use of flat brick in the construction of archways (Decenaux 171).

Gothic architecture, however, began to be in vogue during the twelfth to thirteenth centuries, and these designed were also strongly incorporated into the construction of the Benedictine Abbey at Mont Saint Michel. This impetus was spurred by the French annexation of Normandy in 1204, prompting the King of France to offer the then Benedictine abbot assistance and financing in the construction of Gothic-style structures. The abbey's refectory and cloisters were therefore largely constructed with Gothic elements. Furthermore, when the original Romanesque chancel fell down in 1421, it was rebuilt in the more flamboyant Gothic styles (Adams 133).

The imposing Salle des Chevaliers or Knight's Room and the Salle des Hotes, for example, were constructed using new Gothic-style vaults. The use of narrow buttresses, a Gothic innovation, meant that the thrusts of the vaults -- previously concentrated in an outward direction -- could now be deflected downward via pointed arches. The walls of the Gothic structures no longer had to be as thick as their Romanesque predecessors. The imposing salles, meant for dignitaries and important pilgrims, thus had thinner walls with larger glass windows, allowing in more light. The vaults could also be constructed to much greater heights (Adams 151). The two salles therefore represent a thrilling architectural innovation, one that would have awed the visitors of the twelfth century.

The Mont Saint Michel's Benedictine Abbey still exhibits those soaring and height-related characteristics that defined Gothic architecture. The Escalier de Dentelle, for example, is an imposing staircase supported by a buttress. This support allows people to ascend the magnificent staircase to a gallery almost 400 feet above sea level (Decenaux 187). From this point, pilgrims could have extensive views of the island as well as the sea.

The use of Gothic elements in construction continued well into the seventeenth century. Numerous fires destroyed parts of the abbey throughout the centuries, and these parts were often rebuilt in Gothic styles. The 1204 fire, for example, practically devastated the entire abbey. The massive rebuilding effort therefore allowed for the incorporation of more Gothic elements in design. This allowed builders to construct larger spaces, with loftier ceilings and great rooms that were bathed with light (DEcenaux 171). The pillars were thinner, as much of the vaulting were now supported by majestic flying buttresses.