"The route is the goal," as they say in German. Here's a typical Shortest Route byway summoned by our GPS settings.
And, wham, there it is, suddenly, across a flat field: Le-Mont-Saint-Michel!
Aus unerfindlichen Gründen sind Hunde in Mont-Saint-Michel unerwünscht. Wir checken Neira deshalb in einem Hotel ein und machen uns alleine auf den Weg zum Berg.
For some ungodly reason, dogs are unwelcome in Mont-Saint-Michel. We found a room at a hotel in the nearby town of Beauvoir, parked Neira on the bed and headed for the Mont. As usual, she got it.
Le-Mont-Saint-Michel ist nicht nur Hunde- sondern auch Autofrei. Man gelangt entweder zu Fuss dahin oder mit dem Bus, der vom etwas ausserhalb liegenden Autoparkplatz abgeht. Die Kulisse ist perfekt; das Dorf liegt auf einer kleinen Insel, etwa einen Kilometer von der Küste entfernt.
Such a perfect setting. A tidal island about 110 hectares, a kilometer offshore. Disney couldn't have done it better!
Le-Mont-Saint-Michel besteht in erster Linie aus einer Abtei; in dem Dorf unterhalb des Klosters leben aktuell 33 Menschen. Sie werden jährlich von etwa dreieinhalb Millionen Touristen heimgesucht.
Mont-Saint-Michel is first and foremost a monastery. Below the cloister some 33 people live in the village. Imagine: this little rock gets three and a half million visitors a year!
An diesem grauen Februartag ist es ziemlich ruhig auf dem Berg.
We took the first opportunity to leave the village lane and get up onto the ramparts. A wet and windy February day is the ideal time to visit this place. As it was, we found there were quite enough tourists anyway. A summer's day would, for us, be a nightmare.
Auf dem Turm der Abteikirche prangt ein goldener Erzengel Michael, dem der Berg seinen Namen verdankt.
The tower of the church is topped by a 19th century golden sculpture of Archangel Michael. We entered the monastery and once again made use of audio guides as we moved through the monastery. Very helpful.
Im Jahr 708 trug es sich zu dass Aubert, Bischof im nahegelegenen Avranches, im Traum vom Erzengel Michael den Auftrag bekam, ihm eine Kirche zu bauen. Als der Bischof diesem Auftrag trotz mehrfacher Aufforderung nicht folgte, brannte ihm der Erzengel mit dem Finger ein Loch in den Kopf – hier im Bild zu sehen. Daraufhin leitete Aubert flugs die Bauarbeiten ein.
Legend has it that in 708 the Bishop of nearby Avranches, Aubert, was visited by the Archangel Michael in a dream and instructed to build a church on the island. Aubert evidently was busy with other things and had to be reminded several more times by Michael, who eventually burned a hole in Aubert's head with his finger. That got the bishop's attention and the church was begun. As depicted here, Michael seems a belligerent sort, doesn't he?
Das Kloster, das sich um die Kirche des Aubert entwickelte, war urspünglich eine Abtei der Benediktiner; heute leben dort einige Brüder und Schwestern der Gemeinschaften von Jerusalem.
Originally a Benedictine monastery, today it is occupied, thinly, by monks and nuns from the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem, themselves founded only in 1975.
Der Bau des Klosters begann im 11. Jahrhundert und wurde fünfhundert Jahre später fertiggestellt. Die phantastische Architektur auf dem Gipfel des Berges zeigt die verschiedensten Baustile. Der Kreuzgang ist gotisch und stammt aus dem 13. Jahrhundert.
Construction of the cloister began in the 11th century and took five hundred years. Time, they had. The offset columns was evidently an English engineering innovation.
Das Refektorium, das Esszimmer der Mönche.
The Refectory, the monks' dining hall.
Der Rittersaal.
The Knights chamber.
Die Abtei auf dem Gipfel des Bergs wurde im Mittelalter La Merveille genannt, das Meisterwerk. Sie besteht aus drei Ebenen. Je tiefer runter man kommt, desto dicker werden die Säulen, die die oberen Stockwerke tragen.
The abbey stands atop the mountain, supported by two lower floors that have to carry enormous loads. It's all very impressive.
Die Abtei auf dem Berg ist fast ohne Verzierungen. Umso mehr sticht dieses verstörende Bild ins Auge. Verspeisen die Verbrecher zu Seiten des gekreuzigten Jesus hier gerade zwei Kinder (oder spucken sie sie aus)?
The monastery is almost without decoration. Thus this disturbing carving really stands out. We have looked for an explanation, without success. Are the two well known thieves crucified with Jesus eating children (or are they spitting them out)!? If anyone knows what's up here, please enlighten us!
Mit einem gigantischen Rad und einem auf Schienen laufenden hölzernen Schlitten wurden über einen Schrägaufzug Baumaterial, Werkzeuge and ähnliches auf den Berg gezogen. Das Laufrad wurde von sechs darin laufenden Männern angetrieben. Das Bild unten zeigt, wie viel Schweiss das gekostet haben muss.
This giant wheel was monk-powered. A gang of six guys piled inside to turn it, raising and lowering all manner of supplies for the monastery. The photo below shows the scale of the task.
Nach der Revolution von 1789 wurde das Kloster aufgehoben und in ein Gefängnis umgewandelt. Um die 17'000 Menschen sassen hier ein, überwiegend politische Häftlinge.
After the French Revolution the monastery was transformed into a prison. Not Devil's Island but God's?
Ursprünglich war der Berg nur bei Ebbe von der Küste aus zu erreichen; erst im 19. Jahrhundert wurde ein Damm mit einer Strasse gebaut. Dadurch versandete jedoch die Bucht und der Inselcharakter des Bergs ging verloren. Deshalb wurde der Damm vor ein paar Jahren durch einen Steg ersetzt.
The island was only reachable at low tide until the 19th century, when a dam was built and a street installed. It was unconquered by the British during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and has long been a source of French pride, a bit of a mixture of religious and martial strength.
An der Mündung des Flusses, der bei Mont-Saint-Michel ins Meer fliesst, wurde ein Gezeitendamm gebaut, der bei Flut Meerwasser ins Flussbett einströmen lässt. Bei Ebbe wird das Wasser unter Druck wieder abgelassen und damit Ablagerungen aus der Bucht abgeschoben. Dadurch soll der Berg wieder zu einer richtigen Insel werden.
In recent years, effort have been made to restore the island's maritime character. A new dam controls the flow of the river into the sea.
For some ungodly reason, dogs are unwelcome in Mont-Saint-Michel. We found a room at a hotel in the nearby town of Beauvoir, parked Neira on the bed and headed for the Mont. As usual, she got it.
Such a perfect setting. A tidal island about 110 hectares, a kilometer offshore. Disney couldn't have done it better!
Mont-Saint-Michel is first and foremost a monastery. Below the cloister some 33 people live in the village. Imagine: this little rock gets three and a half million visitors a year!
We took the first opportunity to leave the village lane and get up onto the ramparts. A wet and windy February day is the ideal time to visit this place. As it was, we found there were quite enough tourists anyway. A summer's day would, for us, be a nightmare.
The tower of the church is topped by a 19th century golden sculpture of Archangel Michael. We entered the monastery and once again made use of audio guides as we moved through the monastery. Very helpful.
Legend has it that in 708 the Bishop of nearby Avranches, Aubert, was visited by the Archangel Michael in a dream and instructed to build a church on the island. Aubert evidently was busy with other things and had to be reminded several more times by Michael, who eventually burned a hole in Aubert's head with his finger. That got the bishop's attention and the church was begun. As depicted here, Michael seems a belligerent sort, doesn't he?
Originally a Benedictine monastery, today it is occupied, thinly, by monks and nuns from the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem, themselves founded only in 1975.
Construction of the cloister began in the 11th century and took five hundred years. Time, they had. The offset columns was evidently an English engineering innovation.
The Refectory, the monks' dining hall.
The Knights chamber.
The abbey stands atop the mountain, supported by two lower floors that have to carry enormous loads. It's all very impressive.
The monastery is almost without decoration. Thus this disturbing carving really stands out. We have looked for an explanation, without success. Are the two well known thieves crucified with Jesus eating children (or are they spitting them out)!? If anyone knows what's up here, please enlighten us!
This giant wheel was monk-powered. A gang of six guys piled inside to turn it, raising and lowering all manner of supplies for the monastery. The photo below shows the scale of the task.
After the French Revolution the monastery was transformed into a prison. Not Devil's Island but God's?
The island was only reachable at low tide until the 19th century, when a dam was built and a street installed. It was unconquered by the British during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and has long been a source of French pride, a bit of a mixture of religious and martial strength.
In recent years, effort have been made to restore the island's maritime character. A new dam controls the flow of the river into the sea.
