MONT-SAINT-MICHEL AND ITS BAY
Febbraio 11, 2024
Mont-Saint-Michel, its bay is the best theater for admiring the largest tides in continental Europe.
The sanctuary is a beautiful island in the Atlantic Ocean, when the tidal coefficient exceeds the value of 110 the water covers the road that connects the mountain to the mainland. But when the effect of low tide takes effect, it shows itself in all its beauty.
According to legend, the sanctuary of Mont Saint Michel was built on the spot where the archangel Michael appeared in a dream to the bishop of Avranches. Subsequently, a small community of Benedictine monks was founded and with the increase in pilgrims flocking to visit the sanctuary, a village began to develop to welcome them.
Over the years the abbey was expanded several times, to the point of creating a true architectural feat; the sanctuary has four crypts, two three-storey buildings, a cloister and the monks’ refectory. Only during the Hundred Years’ War was the island protected by military fortifications, which preserved it and protected it from a very long siege of almost 30 years.
After the French Revolution, the Benedictine monks were forced to abandon the abbey, which became a state prison. The tides and quicksand around it made this prison armored, and escape was impossible from this Bastille des Mers, or Bastille of the Sea, over the years it welcomed around 14,000 prisoners, including prisoners of war, politicians and criminals, until 1863 .
Every day it is possible to witness the exciting spectacle of the tides and the fascinating advance of the sea. The sequence is always the same, low tide in the morning and high tide in the evening, the only thing that varies are the times which depend on the lunar cycle.
Only during the few days a year that the BIG TIDES occur, i.e. the tides that have a coefficient greater than 100 and come to completely surround Mont Saint Michel, making it become a real island.
HOW TO ACCESS?
To access the Mont you can park your car at the new car park located 2.5 kilometers from the entrance to the Mont Saint-Michel. From the car park you have several options to reach the Mont: the free shuttle (stop 400 meters from the walls), but above all I recommend the pedestrian path that passes through the new walkway bridge, which makes the visit even more evocative.
