Summary

On a rocky islet between Normandy and Brittany, surrounded by vast mudflats with one of the most spectacular tides of the world, rises “the wonder of the Western world” – Saint-Michel-au-Péril-de-la-Mer. The Benedictine Abbey, founded in 966, was built on the site of a sanctuary which had been dedicated to the Archangel Michael since 708. The village nestles behind the ramparts protecting the island. The construction of the Abbey between the 11^th and 16^th centuries had to adapt to the specific difficulties of the site; this technical and artistic tour de force produced an incomparable site.

Criteria

Criterion (i): The association of the natural site and the architecture of the Mont-Saint-Michel constitute a unique aesthetic achievement.

Criterion (iii): The Mont-Saint-Michel site as a whole is incomparable, due to the coexistence of the Abbey and the fortified village on the restricted island space, and the breath-taking skyline produced by the unique design of the buildings of this outstanding witness of mediaeval civilization.

Criterion (vi). A sanctuary with difficult access, typical of places of worship dedicated to Saint Michael, a popular pilgrimage destination throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, and the seat of a Benedictine Abbey with powerful intellectual influence; all these features make the Mont-Saint-Michel one of the major sites illustrating some of the most characteristic aspects of mediaeval Christian civilization.