Guruwafaa leading Metaphysical Science program at Monte Saint Michel
Normandy, France 15th August 2013
Guruwafaa leading Metaphysical Science program inside Monte Saint Michel
in front of the chapel Normandy, France 15th August 2013
Mont Saint-Michel:
The
island has held strategic
fortifications since ancient times, and since the eighth century AD has been the seat of the
monastery from which it draws its name. The structural composition of the town exemplifies the
feudal society that constructed it. On top
God, the
abbey and
monastery, below this the
Great halls, then stores and housing, and at the bottom, outside the walls, fishermen and farmers' housing.
One of France's most recognisable landmarks, Mont Saint-Michel and its bay are part of the UNESCO list of
World Heritage Sites[2] and more than 3 million people visit it each year.
[3]
Monte Saint Michel 15th August 2013
Mont Saint-Michel was used in the sixth and seventh centuries as an Armorican stronghold of Gallo-Roman culture and power until it was ransacked by the Franks, thus ending the trans-channel culture that had stood since the departure of the Romans in AD 460. From roughly the fifth to the eighth century, Mont Saint-Michel belonged to the territory of Neustria, and in the early ninth century was an important place in the marches of Neustria. Before the construction of the first monastic establishment in the 8th century, the island was called Mont Tombe (Latin: tumba). According to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared in 708 to St. Aubert, the bishop of Avranches, and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel's instruction until Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger.[7]
Unable to defend his kingdom against the assaults of the
Vikings, the king of the Franks agreed to grant the Cotentin peninsula and the
Avranchin, including Mont-Saint-Michel, to the Bretons in the 867
Treaty of Compiègne. This marked the beginning of the brief period of Breton possession of the Mont. In fact, these lands and Mont Saint-Michel were never really included in the duchy of Brittany and remained independent bishoprics from the newly created Breton archbishopric of Dol. When
Rollo confirmed Franco as
archbishop of Rouen, these traditional dependences of the Rouen archbishopric were retained in it.
In 1067, the monastery of Mont Saint-Michel gave its support to
Duke William of Normandy in his claim to the throne of England. This he rewarded with properties and grounds on the English side of the Channel, including a small island off the southwestern coast of
Cornwall which was modeled after the Mount and became a
Norman priory named
St Michael's Mount of Penzance.
During the
Hundred Years' War, the
English made repeated assaults on the island, but were unable to seize it due to the abbey's improved fortifications. The English initially besieged the Mont in 1423-4, and then again in 1433-4 with English forces under the command of
Thomas Scalles. Two wrought-iron
bombards that Scalles abandoned when he gave up his siege are still on site. They are known as
les Michelettes. Mont Saint-Michel's resolute resistance inspired the French, especially
Joan of Arc.
When
Louis XI of France founded the
Order of Saint Michael in 1469, he intended that the abbey church of Mont Saint-Michel become the chapel for the Order, but because of its great distance from Paris, his intention could never be realized.
The wealth and influence of the abbey extended to many daughter foundations, including St Michael's Mount in
Cornwall. However, its popularity and prestige as a centre of
pilgrimage waned with the
Reformation, and by the time of the
French Revolution there were scarcely any monks in residence. The abbey was closed and converted into a prison, initially to hold clerical opponents of the republican regime. High-profile political prisoners followed, but by 1836, influential figures—including
Victor Hugo—had launched a campaign to restore what was seen as a national architectural treasure. The prison was finally closed in 1863, and the mount was declared an historic monument in 1874. Mont Saint-Michel and its bay were added to the UNESCO list of
World Heritage Sites in 1979, and it was listed with criteria such as cultural, historical, and architectural significance, as well as human-created and natural beauty.
[2]
Enjoy the tour:
