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French project Sam mOnnat Click here to go back to my page

__ Mont St-Michel, France __ Mont St-Michel is a very cool and historic abbey about 1 km away from the north coast of France. It is officially in the region of Normandy. Before the construction of this abbey in the 8th century, the island was called Mont Tombe. Then, in 708, Michael the Archangel appeared to the current bishop there, St. Aubert, and told him to build a church there. At first St. Aubert didn't follow his directions, but then Michael burned a hole in his skull with hiss finger. Don't worry, this is all a legend. The church was built and dedicated to Michael the Archangel. Most of what is seen today was designed by an Italian, William de Volpiano. Many underground crypts, chapels, and other rooms had to be built to support the weight of the structure. During the French Revolution, it was turned into a prison. Many people disapproved of this, and by 1863 the prison was shut down. On the island there is also a very small town. The island is connected to the mainland by a very small land bridge, which you cannot see in the picture to the left. The bridge you see was built in 1879. The small village has a single street, which more than 3.5 million tourists a year visit. The village only has around 30 full time residents. Some tourists have lost their cars because they parked them in places where the tide can sweep them away and underwater. Below are images of the village.



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