robert de thorigny was a great supporter of henry ii of england. henry was also duke of normandy at this time. thorigny made the structure of the buildings stronger. he also built the main façade of the church in the 12th century. in 1204, the breton "guy de thouars", a friend of the king of france, attacked the mount with an army. he set fire to the village and killed lots of people. however, he had to retreat (leave) under the powerful walls of the abbey. the fire extended to the buildings, and the roofs burnt. philip augustus, thorigny's friend, was unhappy about the cruel actions and the destruction. he offered abbot jourdain some money to build a new gothic-style architectural set. the abbot added the refectory ("dining room") and cloister.