The spire of Mont-St-Michel's medieval abbey reaches
magnificently to heaven. The Benedictine monastery, La
Merveille, "The Marvel," is built on a rocky tidal island,
ringed by treacherous quicksand and ocean of Normandy, France.
Pictures cannot capture the wonder of Mont-St.-Michel, its
silhouette against the horizon is too beautiful for words. The
great Gothic church and abbey atop the Mont celebrate
architectural divinity and sing of the strength of the spirit.
"Mont-St-Michel is a gigantic granite jewel," described author
Guy de Maupassant. "Delicate as lace, thronged with towers and
slender belfries." Hermits lived on the islet as early as the
6th century. According to legend, in 708, the Archangel Michael
in three separate dreams told Aubert, Bishop of Avranches, to
build an oratory on the rock, accessible only at low tide. The
fortification became a spiritual haven during the Middle Ages.
The miracle of this place, said writer Nicolas Simonnet,
provides "a link with the life and history of man." Betwee