This thousand-year-old castle has become one of the symbols of France and is the country's third most visited tourist attraction, after the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles.
Perched high atop Mont Saint-Michel is an ancient abbey surrounded by ramparts and buttresses that descend from the top of its central tower. The abbey was built in the 13th century and stands 73m above sea level. It is a spectacular structure that has attracted countless pilgrims for centuries. Today, the abbey attracts around 1.3 million visitors a year.
Mont Saint-Michel Abbey, France. (Photo: francetourisme)
“For 1,000 years, the Abbey of Saint-Michel has been a symbol of French universalism. The abbey of the castle is a symbol of our Frenchness,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter on June 5 after an official visit to the site.
To celebrate the monastery’s birthday, concerts and conferences will be held here, along with a light show called “Millennium” on June 23. Historical and architectural exhibitions will also be open to visitors until November 2023.
Witness to history
Rising from the bay of Saint-Malo on the border of Normandy and Brittany, Mont Saint-Michel Abbey stands tall on top of a small village and is surrounded by fortified walls. Its architecture is characterized by Gothic style - the pointed arches, many large windows, often seen in many architectural models of ancient churches and palaces.
At high tide, Mont Saint-Michel rises from the water like a beautiful oasis in the middle of the vast ocean. Located at an altitude of about 80 m above sea level, Mont Saint-Michel island rises above the Atlantic waves like a giant, sturdy lighthouse. The castle became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
Mont Saint-Michel was recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1979. (Photo: francetourisme)
Known as the “wonder of the Western world”, the history of Mont Saint-Michel began in 709 when Bishop Saint Aubert d'Avranches decided to build an abbey in memory of Saint Michel. The name Mont Saint-Michel also comes from this anecdote. Since then, the castle has become a sacred place and continued to develop from the 11th to the 16th century.
Over its 1,000 years of history, the Abbey has witnessed important moments in French history, notably when it became a fighting fortress during the Hundred Years' War between England and France from 1337 – 1453 and survived a 30-year siege by the English.
Mont Saint-Michel also became a prison during the 18th-century French Revolution. By 1863, 14,000 prisoners were in the “Bastille of the Seas” – where tides and quicksand made escape impossible.
Concerns about overtourism
In France, Mont Saint-Michel has always been extremely popular, attracting millions of pilgrims throughout history. Today, around 3 million people visit the site each year, and it is often crowded on weekends.
On Ascension weekend in May, the site was packed with visitors from 11am to 3pm, an alarming number considering the site usually has peak summer traffic.
“We sold 10,500 tickets at the abbey, which is a record,” Thomas Velter, executive director of the National Public Facility at Mont Saint-Michel, told CNN .
“Previously, most visitors to Mont may have had an unpleasant experience with overcrowding. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the overcrowding situation has improved significantly, and now tourists can fully enjoy visiting the sites without having to jostle,” the official added.
During peak tourist season, thousands of tourists flock to the island's only street. (Photo: CNN)
Looking ahead to its millennium celebrations, Mont Saint-Michel will remain a very popular tourist attraction, according to early figures from 2023. This has led to some concerns for the dozens of residents, shops and natural landscapes here.
“I don’t think it’s good for shopkeepers, hoteliers and restaurateurs because they simply can’t keep up with the demand. Mont Saint-Michel is 1km2 in circumference and there’s only one shopping street. Imagine 5,000 tourists all at the same time on this street. I don’t think it would be a pleasant experience for them,” said Mr. Velter.
In an effort to increase sustainability, buses connecting Mont Saint-Michel’s attractions now run on biofuel instead of diesel. Visitors are also encouraged to explore the bay with boat tours during peak hours from 11am to 3pm and take advantage of free parking after 6.30pm.
Phuong Thao (Source: CNN)
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