LOLO TAKES A SIDE TRIP TO MONT SAINT-MICHEL: PART 2

I hope you're as thrilled as I am that Lolo took a little time off from his TRÈS busy schedule to have some fun and show us a bit of the beautiful area near his family home. Today we'll get a better look at the architecture that makes Mont Saint-Michel such a spectacular sight and the medieval village that grew up around the church.

Map of Mont Saint-Michel

Perched on a rocky islet in the midst of vast sandbanks exposed to some of the fastest and highest tides in Europe, Mont-Saint-Michel is an almost circular (about 3,000 feet in circumference) granite outcrop rising 287 feet out of the sea in the Baie de Saint-Michel between Brittany and Normandy. 

Classic Facade of the Church Abbey Saint-Michel

Ramparts encircle the Mont Saint-Michel abbey and a three tiered unit of 13th century buildings known as La Merveille (Marvel). This terraced complex is one of the most remarkable examples of medieval architecture in the world. 

La Merveille 

 The local geography played a major role in the design of the Merveille. From the entrance of Mont Saint-Michel, a flight of steps leads up through the Belle Chaise into the Merveille. On the lowest floor is the Aumônerie, a large columned hall which was a dormitory for poor pilgrims. 

Pillar in One of the Lodging Rooms

The first floor consists of La Salle des Hôtes, a reception room for distinguished guests situated over the AumoPnerie, and the imposing Gothic Salle des Chevaliers (Knights' Hall, 1215-1220), later the working room of the Benedictine monks. 

La Salle des Chevaliers

The Salle des Chevaliers is one of Mont St-Michel's largest and most beautiful rooms. Built out of granite, the Salle des Chevaliers is very spacious with two oversized sized fireplaces. The large hoods of the fireplaces are supported by two long granite brackets which help the heat to radiate around the grand room. Next to the fireplaces are small windows which overlook the bay. The granite columns with their decorated tops and the cross vaulting of the ceiling make the Salle des Chevaliers an exceptional example of gothic Norman architecture.

Gothic Architecture

Granite Column

Cross Vaulting of the Ceiling

 On the second floor are the Refectory, later used as a dormitory (over the Salle des Hôtes), and the cloister, built from 1225-1228 (over the Knights' Hall), with 220 graceful columns in double alternating rows. The columns were originally made of limestone, but were later restored using puddingstone. The detail on the columns is incredible. Contrary to tradition, this cloister wasn't built at the center of the monastery and doesn't join together all the other buildings. Its function was purely spiritual, a place for the monks to meditate. Three arches of the cloister are open to the sea. A medieval garden is in the middle of the cloister with box trees in the center surrounded by thirteen Damascus roses. The squares of medicinal plants, aromatic herbs and flowers symbolize the daily needs of medieval monks. 

The Refectory

View From the Cloister

 Garden Seen From the Cloister 

Three Arches of the Cloister Open to the Sea

On the south side of the cloister is the abbey church, begun in 1020, with its Romanesque nave, a charming contrast to the 15th century Gothic architecture of the Merveille.

Interior of the Church Abbey Saint-Michel

Lolo Inside the Abbey

Abbey Architecture

Abbey 

From the abbey, the Escalier de Dentelle, a magnificent staircase supported on a buttress, leads up to an outside gallery that is 395 feet above the sea. The view is amazing.

What a Beautiful View!

Lolo visited the village that has been around since the Hundred Years' War on his way out. Mont Saint-Michel's only street, the Grande Rue, is lined with closely packed houses of the 15th and 16th centuries, now occupied by souvenir shops, snack bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels. Hope he remembered to bring me a souvenir!

The Grand Rue

15th and 16th Century Homes 

Former Homes (Now Restaurants, Shops, Hotels)

Mont Saint-Michel, rising out of the bay, is definitely something everyone should see! I hope Lolo takes more side trips like this and shows us more of the beautiful French countryside, don't you? It's back to the daily grind for him tomorrow.

Á Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi

LOLO TAKES A SIDE TRIP TO MONT SAINT-MICHEL: PART 1

Lolo's morning started out like any other day, searching through warehouses hoping to find a treasure trove of French antiques. He managed to find a few new dealers and drove away with some beautiful pieces.

Louis XV Table with Cabriole Legs Ending in Pied de Biche

Antique French Grandfather Clocks

Hand Carved French Gueridon 

Louis XV Wing Back Bergeres

Louis XV Enfilade

Henri II Leather Armchairs

Antique Wooden French Planter

Louis XV Cabinet

Louis XV Chest

 
As he was off to his final destination, Lolo found himself near Mont Saint-Michel. Known as the Merveille de l’Occident  (Wonder of the West), it's one of France's most iconic sights. 

Mont Saint-Michel in the distance.

Lolo had always heard of the rocky islet and its tides, but had never been there. He decided to take some time off (something he's learning to do a little more often) and do some sight seeing. And WOW...what a sight to see!

Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel takes you back to the Middle Ages with its amazing architecture set against a backdrop of the area's incredible tides.

Mont Saint-Michel forms a tower in the heart of an immense bay invaded by the highest tides in Europe.

The actual abbey of Mont Saint-Michel is the reason to visit. Surrounded by rock, the abbey provides insight into religious life through 1000 years of architecture. It’s been an important pilgrimage center since 709 A.D. 

The Abbey

According to legend, the Archangel Michael told Saint-Aubert, the local Bishop of Avranches, to “build here and build high.” Saint-Aubert built and consecrated a small church on October 16, 709.  Archangel Michael reassured the bishop, “If you build it...they will come.” In 966 A.D., a community of Benedictine monks settled on the rock at the request of the Duke of Normandy and the Carolingian church named Chapelle Notre-Dame-sous-Terre (Our Lady underground) was built on the grounds of the oratory erected by Saint-Aubert in the early VIIIth century. Today's abbey is built on the remains of this pre-Romanesque church. Saint-Michel, whose gilded statue decorates the top of the abbey’s spire, was the patron saint of many French kings, making this a favored sight for French royalty through the ages.  

The Archangel Michel by sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet sits atop the neo-gothic spire,
 rising over 550 feet above sea level, that was added in 1896.

The abbey was closed in 1791 and used as a prison during the French Revolution. Napoleon finally shut down the prison in 1863 after several influential figures, including Victor Hugo, launched a campaign to restore what was seen as a national architectural treasure. An extensive restoration was required. The abbey was turned over to the Historic Monuments department in 1874 and has been open to the public year round since then. The setting and fine architecture make it one of the major monuments for visitors in France.

'Mont-Saint-Michel: La salle des Chevaliers'

Tomorrow, Lolo takes us through a maze of narrow streets leading through areas of shops, restaurants, and hotels. He'll show us the windlass, installed during the use of the site as a prison, which six workers once powered hamster-style to haul two-ton loads of stones and supplies from the landing below. We'll take a look at the beautiful architecture of Mont Saint-Michel and the little village that flourishes on the rock.

Lolo and the Windlass

Á Bientôt!

Lolo & Mimi