The Monastery in the Sea: 20 Stunning Photos of Mont Saint Michel From far away, it looks like it could be a mirage just out of reach, set against a background of endless sand and sea. And although that mirage looks like a fairy tale castle, Saint Michel is actually an abbey surrounded by a small town, all on a rock less than one kilometer (.6 miles) across. The first monastery was built on the island in the 8th century, and in the intervening centuries the monastery and the village around it grew in size and permanence. Today, three million tourists visit the island each year. 172/365² Cuentos de hadas by Andrés Nieto Porras Mont Saint-Michel by Cristian Bortes Mont Saint-Michel by Cristian Bortes Mont Saint Michel during sunset and low tide by Moyan Brenn The small island stands about 1 kilometer off the northern coast of France, though at low tide the island can be accessed by walking across the seemingly endless beach. Here, the tides are the highest in Europe; because the area around Saint Michel is so flat, and so close to sea level, the tides can come up quite high. This had the added bonus of making the island more defensible to attacking forces, as they risked drowning if they stayed too long. The reverse was true too–that the inhabitants of the island were less likely to escape. It was this thought that turned the abbey into a prison after the French Revolution, earning the nickname ‘the Bastille of the sea’. By the mid-1800′s, however, there was enough momentum to recognize the island for the amazing architectural treasure that it is, and the prison closed. 162/365² Mt Saint Michel by Andrés Nieto Porras Mont Saint Michel: A view from Mont Saint Michel at the sunset…….There was a smooth fog….Mont Saint Michel is famous for high/low tide by Moyan Brenn Mont Saint-Michel by Cristian Bortes Streets Of Mont Saint-Michel: Taken on an iPhone 4 using pro HDR. by A Guy Taking Pictures Mont Saint-Michel by Cristian Bortes Today, the narrow streets of the Mont Saint Michel village cater almost exclusively to tourists. Only about 40 people actually live on the island, whereas there are 50 tourist shops. But in a sense, that has been true for a long time. In the middle ages, pilgrims flocked to the island to visit a site of learning and devotion. One reason the village initially sprung up was to house and provide supplies for these visitors. Of course, villagers had to live on the island at that point, instead of taking a shuttle to work. Mont Saint-Michel by Cristian Bortes Silouhette du Mont Saint Michel by Philippe CLABOTER … by Anthony Luco Mont Saint-Michel by Cristian Bortes Mont Saint-Michel by Cristian Bortes 175/365² Espejismos by Andrés Nieto Porras Mont by PhotKing Mont Saint-Michel by Cristian Bortes mont saint-michel by Osamu Kaneko Altar & Nave: Spectacular lighting of the main altar of the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, perched upon a magnificent outcrop of land, separated by the sea from the mainland coast of Northwestern France. by Angelo Juan Ramos Mont Saint-Michel by Cristian Bortes If you’d like to read more about Mont Saint Michel, their website can tell you more about the history and information about visiting. Related Stories 18 Stunning Pictures of Lilies Great Examples of Motion Photography / Parallax 2.5D Animation The Sagrada Familia – 20 Photos of the Most Beautiful Unfinished Building Elizabeth VanderMeerDigital Camera Lenses
Posted on: Sun, 06 Jul 2014 09:58:51 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015