24 – Down below…

From up above

From the courtyard in front of the abbey one gets a good idea of just how far one has climbed.  The rock on which the abbey is constructed rises some eighty four metres above sea level, while the Fremiet statue of St Michel atop the abbey spire is said to be some one hundred and seventy metres high.

Looking west down to the Gabriel Tower, one sees acres of the silt now settled in the salt marshes of the bay. Distinctive in colour, this is known to the French as the “tangue”. The Gabriel Tower was added to the fortifications on the mont following the end of a period under siege in 1524. It is suggested by some that the tower had been named after Gabriel, one of three archangels of mention in the Bible. That would be fitting (romantic even) but it was in fact named after Gabriel de Puy a French military strategist. Designed to allow artillery defence from all approaches, in the seventeenth century when its defensive purpose was no longer required a windmill was mounted on the tower. It was repurposed as a lighthouse station for boats on the Couesnon river. Operational at the time for three and a half hours around the high tide, the light has been inactive since 1904. It was originally (in 1870) a static red light mounted in a wood cabin, then moved to the tower in 1881. For a height perspective – this three storied tower stands some eight metres to its peak.

Although the tower is now closed, one couple with our tour party did get to the doorway of the structure.

They returned engaged. Such is the magic of the mont!!!

23 – The Causeway…

Controversy

Arriving almost at the top of Mont St Michel one gets a great 360 degree perspective of the area and surrounding bay of the abbey.  One can also see why claim to ‘ownership’ of the Mont is rightfully made by Normandy – for in truth the site lies right on the border of Normandy and Brittany. That border is effectively defined by the small Couesnon River, and by an act of providence the Couesnon flows into the sea below the south side of the Mont.

But is it providence?

You may have noticed that I have on occasion referred to the Mont as an island, yet I always have a slight feeling of discomfort when doing so, for the motor causeway constructed some sixty years ago to carry visitors to the parking at the foot of the Mont has also effectively permanently joined the island to the mainland. And it has more significantly altered the flow of waters and tides around the bay – including the flow of the Couesnon.

The bay area of Mont St Michel is one of the largest, most ecologically diverse and important marine areas in the world. And it has been largely ruined. Fortunately it is not too late to undo the damage and a major project, proposed as far back as 1995, is now underway to return the bay closely to its former pristine glory. Known as Projet Mont Saint-Michel, fuller details of this ambitious and worthwhile project may be viewed here (use your back arrow key or browser history to return to this site). Work will free the island from the binds of the salt marshes, rid it of the unsightly parking area and return it to a marine setting. Visitors will again enjoy the Mont, and nature undisturbed.

It will once more become an island.