The story of this place
According to legend, the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel was founded in 708 after the Archangel Michael appeared to Bishop Aubert of Avranches, commanding him to build on the rocky tidal island. Over centuries a soaring Benedictine monastery, La Merveille, rose on its summit, ringed by ramparts. During the Hundred Years' War the fortress-abbey withstood repeated English sieges and never fell, becoming a symbol of French resistance and national identity. Its dangerous tides—among the fastest in Europe, racing in 'at the speed of a galloping horse'—both isolated and protected it. After the Revolution it served as a prison before becoming one of France's most visited monuments.