The construction of the Abbey at Mont Saint-Michel began in the 10th century, and features some architectural masterpieces, Carolingian, Roman or Gothic in style. The Abbey is divided into two main parts: the abbatial church, established at the summit of the rock, and the Merveille which rises over three levels on one side of the rock.
You can access the Abbey by the “Grand Degré,” a large staircase of around 350 steps, which is closed off by a revolving door halfway up, which was guarded by a watchman in the past. In 1874, Mont Saint-Michel Abbey was designated a “Monument Historique.”
Since the Middle Ages, pilgrims from all over the world have come to the Abbey to pay their respects to Saint-Michel. The first Benedictine monks settled on Mont Saint-Michel in 966 and converted some of the dwellings into a monastery.
In 1791, the monks were driven out by the French Revolution, only returning in 1966 to celebrate the monastic millennium. Since 2001, two bodies of monks and nuns from the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem live in Mont Saint-Michel Abbey and deal with the running of the Abbey and daily services.
Tickets can be bought at the entrance to the Abbey.
Prices:
On summer evenings, the Abbey is momentarily bathed in music and light. Take a romantic nocturnal trip to the Mount, and have an experience like nothing else.
You will be able to see places normally closed to the public like the Chapel of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, as well as a light show and mirror effects that transform the building.
The Abbey is open for nocturnal visits from 7 pm till midnight throughout the summer and every day except Sunday.
Mass is celebrated with the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem.
