in the 11th century, richard ii of normandy chose an italian architect called william de volpiano to build the abbey of mont-saint-michel. volpiano had already built the abbey of fécamp, in normandy. he designed the romanesque church of the abbey. he chose to place the transept crossing at the top of the mount. he also built a lot of crypts and chapels below the ground. these are to support building above, because it is very heavy. today, mont-saint-michel has a church of romanesque style.