In the medieval time Le Mont-Saint-Michel was known as the Mount in Peril from the Sea, as a lot of pilgrims found their death in the waters or the quicksand while trying to access the rocky tidal island. It was believed that St. Michel vigorously protected it in his titanic struggle against the evil and the paganism. An abbey was founded on the top of the island not earlier than 8th century by the bishop of the nearby town of Avranches, whose name was Aubert. According to the legend Archangel Michael himself appeared to Aubert and told him to do this. In 966 the Duke Richard the First brought here the Benedictine order. In the 11th century the building of the sturdy church atop had been commenced. In the next centuries many other houses and various buildings were constructed to form a picturesque fortified town on the hill, a unique mixture of Romanesque and Gothic architecture and one of the most famous silhouettes in France.

The abbey was one of the most prominent religious centers in Western Europe during the Middle Ages, although it had never been inhabited by more than 40 monks. After the French Revolution the Mont was turned into a prison. In 1966 the Benedictine monks were invited to return to the island 1000 years after the foundation of their first monastery on it. In 2001 they left Mont-Saint-Michel again as the modern-day situation on the island and the constant flow of tourists do not allow them a quiet life in contemplation. Their place was taken by nuns and monks from the Monastic Fraternity of Jerusalem.

Le Mont-Saint-Michel has not been a real island for long years, as the causeway which connects it to the mainland is never submerged. There are even plans the causeway to be replaced by a bridge with a tram line on it that to spare the 2 km walk of the visitors. According to these plans the bridge will be completed in 2010 and the removing of the causeway will allow the sea to wash away the large quantity of accumulated silt on its both sides.

The architectural complex of the abbey occupies the entire northern side of the island and is visible from any spot of the bay. Besides the hill-top church with its impressive high spires, it comprises the gorgeous Gothic buildings known as the Mervielle (the Marvel) since 13th century, the cloister, the knight's hall, the guest hall, the refectory and the cellars.

The church has been built on the highest point of the rock. It is a graceful mixture of Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. The transition from the earlier Romanesque to the later Gothic architecture is most clearly visible in the vaults of the nave. To achieve the church shape of a classic Latin cross, additional supporting crypts were built around the main body. The hard Causey granite stone was used as a base material. The stone blocks in the foundations had been sculptured to match exactly the contours of the rock on the hill-top. The limited space was used most practically and originally. The result is a real architectural ingenuity which will surprise you with its geometry.

The constructing of the monastery complex was not a smooth process. The first church and the tower had to be rebuilt after they collapsed. The diversity of the decorative styles is even greater than this in the architecture. Today you will see only walls of gray stone but in the Middle ages all of them were richly decorated with tapestry, frescoes and coloured tiles.

The get a clear ideal about what the abbey looked like in the different historical periods you should take a look at the interesting scale models in the reception area.

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