Mont-Saint-Michel
Landmark
An abbey on a rock that is an island at high tide.
Off the coast of Normandy a rock rises out of a wide, flat bay. On top stands an abbey more than a thousand years old, with a small village winding up to it.
The tide here is one of the strongest in Europe. At low tide the sea draws back for kilometres; at high tide the water rushes in and surrounds the rock. Pilgrims used to cross the sand on foot and had to watch the clock.
- between low and high tide
- 14 m
- the abbey was founded
- 966
- people live there, roughly
- 30
- 1
About thirty people live on the rock, and around three million visit every year.
- 2
They say the tide comes in as fast as a galloping horse. In truth it is closer to a brisk walk, but that is fast enough to be dangerous.
- 3
Since 2014 a bridge on stilts has led to the rock, so that the sea can flow freely around it again.
Question 1 of 2
Read about France