6/18/2023
Just remembered another book, old and yellowing, yet very precious: Le Mont-Saint-Michel by Ch. H. Besnard. This 140-page volume belongs to a collection of works about the greatest French edifices, produced ‘under the patronage of the French administration of Art and the French Archaeological Society.
This book is the perfect and nurturing mix of intelligence, precision and poetry. The first chapter describes how investors and engineers attempted to tame the ocean and change the bay, a project that damaged the eco-system and was finally replaced by the new embarkment, allowing the natural flow in the bay.
So, in the second chapter, History, Besnard tells the legend, how ‘the Archangel appeared to Abbot Aubert in 708 and commanded him to go to Mont Tomb and build a sanctuary honoring him.’ [1] Then, the author declares that ‘we are leaving the lore to enter history… For more than 250 years, the relics[2] were under the guardianship of a group of monks whose ‘behavior had become scandalous.'”
Richard the first, Duke of Normandy, who could not tolerate the unworthy guardians of the venerable sanctuary any longer, commanded them to return to a more austere lifestyle. Facing their refusal […] Richard, in collaboration with pope John XIII, decided to get rid of these dissolute canons. In 966, he established in Mont-Saint-Michel, 30 Benedictine monks […]. That was the onset of the Abbaye that would become one of the most powerful in France.[3]
So, 965 or 966. Well, for some reason, my consciousness has to be focused on the venerable and magnificent site!
[1] Besnard, Mont-Saint-Michel p. 15
[2] Brought back from the old sanctuary on Monte Gargano… one of the main churches on the Apollo Saint Michael ley line, starting in Megiddo, Israel.
[3] Ibid, p. 17.
Mont Saint Michel 1000 years
MACRON ET MONT-SAINT-MICHEL, UN COUP DE PUB?
Or a special ceremony organized by the Lodge? No clue.
In voluntary exile in California, I received a link to CNN mentioning the 1000 years celebration of Mont-Saint-Michel, with a visit of President Macron on June 5th. Exhibitions, light show on the solstice…
“In the span of 1,000 years, its —the Mont’s— silhouette has become an emblem of French universalism, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter on June 5 following an official visit to the site. “Its abbey, the symbol of what we are: a people of builders.”
To celebrate the abbey’s birthday, the Mont is hosting concerts, conferences and a visual show called the ‘Millennium Solstice’ on June 23 that will feature an unprecedented light show. Visitors can also enjoy an exhibition about its history and architecture until November 2023.
That’s weird. I have a book celebrating the Mont-Saint-Michel millenium in 1965. The copy of the cover, on the left, shows 965 as the birth of the Mont. Abbot Aubert was ‘instructed’ by the Archangel to build a chapel in His name on the Mont Tombe, then surrounded by a heavy forest and dedicated to the old celtic gods. This event is commonly dated 708 AD. According to the lore, Aubert built the original chapel, on the spot indicated by a bull, as promised by the Archangel.
The Merveille, core of the magnificent building, was built under the responsibility of ‘master builders Ranulphe de l’Isle between 1212-1218, and Raoul de Villedieu, 1025-1036’ Millenium edition, p. ‘ramparts.’
Even the French press is goofing: (Paris) L’abbaye bien-aimée du Mont-Saint-Michel, en France, a atteint un âge avancé. Mille ans se sont écoulés depuis la pose de sa première pierre. https://www.lapresse.ca/voyage/europe/2023-06-05/l-abbaye-du-mont-saint-michel-celebre-ses-1000-ans.php
Paris) The beloved abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, in France, has reached an advanced age. A thousand years have passed since the laying of its first stone.” N’importe quoi!
“A place of transmission that attests to the ability of our people to adapt to times and the changes that go with it. Building, conserving, adapting, such is the meaning of what the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel takes with it.” Bruno Roger-Petit, memory advisor to Emmanuel Macron
“Un lieu de transmission qui atteste de la capacité de notre peuple à faire preuve d’adaptation aux époques et aux changements qui vont de pair. Bâtir, conserver, adapter, tel est le sens de ce qu’emporte avec lui l’abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel.” Bruno Roger-Petit, conseiller mémoire d’Emmanuel Macron
I have to say that I never researched how a church would be counted as an Abbaye. Was the presence of an Abbot enough to make a monastery and Abbaye?
“The conditions for raising a monastery to the rank of abbey vary according to the rule of each religious order. For example, among Trappist monks, a newly founded house is first:
- a “foundation”, part of the parent company;
- a “priory” (simple or major) when it reaches a sufficient number of monks (or nuns) and financial autonomy;
- then an “abbey”, when it is fully autonomous, whether in number of monks (or nuns), buildings and resources.” wiki
The Mont-Saint-Michel was under the guardianship of the Benedictine Order. ‘The arrival in Mont-Saint-Michel of the Benedictine monks is commonly dated in 965 or 966. Pope John the 13th and Lothaire, king of France, confirmed the onset of their charge.’ Abbot Maynard was in charge until his death in 991. Mont Saint Michel, Son Histoire et ses Merveilles. Monnier, p. 42-43
There is something missing here. Besides the fact that I have had the Mont in my consciousness again recently and have placed the painting Mont Saint Michel back on my desktop.
The map below shows, on the right, in red, the first sanctuary built by Aubert.
MONT SAINT MICHEL – MAPS
Romanesque Abbaye built between 1154-1186, etc
