Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel is a small fortress/abbey built on a tidal island approximately one kilometre off the coast of Normandy. Its spectactular architecture and imposing dimensions make Mont Saint-Michel one of Normandy's most recoginized landmarks and a top tourist attraction.

When it was originally built, the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel was situated on an island which was accessible by land only at low tide. At high tide, the land around the island flooded, making the abbey and its surrounding town easily defensible. In the late 1800s, the French authorities built a causeway and later land reclamation projects have resulted in the the tidal flats around the island to fill up with silt, with the result that the island is no longer really an island however it still rises majestically from the low lying flats around it. The effect is highlighted at night when flood lights illuminate the massive abbey.

Today Mont Saint-Michel is a Unesco World Heritage Site. There are plans to turn Mont Saint-Michel back into a true island by digging up the silt that has accumulated around the island.