Le Mont-Saint-Michel(English: Mount Saint Michael) is a rocky, cone-shaped ,tidal isle in the north west of France, in the Gulf of Saint-Malo, is connected by a causeway with the mainland. The islet, renowned for its Benedictine abbey, has a picturesque view of small houses and shops on its lowest level. Above these stand the ascetic buildings, many of which date from the 13th century and are considered outstanding examples of Gothic architecture. The entire islet is crowned by the abbey church, about 73 m (about 240 ft) above sea level. The steeple church(built between the 11th and 16th centuries) which occupy most of the one-kilometer-diameter clump of rocks jutting out of the waters of the English Channel is also located here.
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| | The Benedictine abbey is crowned by a gold leaf statue of St. Michael by Emmanuel Frémiet, reaching a height of 155 metres (510 feet) above the sea level.
The Mount was connected to the mainland through a thin natural land bridge, which before modernization was covered at high tide and revealed at low tide. Thus, Mont Saint Michel gained a mystical quality, being an island half the time and being attached to land the other: a tidal island.
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The building contractor for the mount in the 11th century was an Italian architect, William de Volpiano. He designed the Romanesque church of the abbey, daringly placing the transept crossing at the top of the mount. Today Mont Saint Michel is seen as a Gothic-style church.
The towering Benedictine abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, an architectural masterpiece was built replacing the original abbey, which was founded in 708 by Saint Aubert, bishop of Avranches, but destroyed by King Philip II of France in 1203.
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| | Its fortifications enabled the islet to withstand repeated English assaults during the Hundred Years' War. The abbey served as a prison during Napoleon I's reign. The abbey is preserved as a national historical monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site after being restored after 1863, and connected to the mainland by a causeway (completed 1875). It is one of the greatest tourist attractions of France.
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Allwondersoftheworld.com provides information about Mount Saint Michael and its Benedictine abbey, the architectural masterpiece which was built in the 13th century .
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