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Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel (Mont Saint-Michel Abbey) Description: Mont Saint-Michel (Saint Michael’s Mount) is a rocky island surrounded by perilous waters one kilometre (0.6 miles) off the coast of Normandy. It was founded in 708 by the Bishop of Avranches who built a chapel there after the Archangel Michael appeared to him in a dream. Construction of the spectacular Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel (Mont Saint-Michel Abbey) started in 1023 and finished some 400 years later. Fashioned from granite, its delicate contours are an extension of the shape of the island and encompass a range of architectural styles, from Norman to Gothic. For centuries, the Abbey was a place of pilgrimage but it has also variously served as a prison, a fortress against the English and a monastery. There is still a Benedictine monastery in the Abbey, which can be visited on a guided tour. In the maze of cobbled streets on the rest of the island there are other attractions, including a waxwork museum, a maritime museum and the Archéoscope, a multimedia museum which tells the story of the island up to the present day. Contact Addresses: Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel, 50116 Le Mont Saint-Michel, France Tel: (02) 3389 8000. Fax: (02) 3370 8308. E-mail: hochet@monuments-france.fr or contacts@monument.fr Website: www.monum.fr/m_stmichel Transportation: Air: Caen-Carpiquet Airport, Paris Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Orly Airport. Water: Sea: Ferry services from the UK and Ireland to Cherbourg, Caen, Le Havre and Dieppe. Rail: Train: Pontorson Railway Station; high-speed TGV services from Paris Gare Montparnasse via Rennes. Road: Car: N176 (from St Malo and Avranches) or N175 (from Rennes). Opening Times: Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel: Daily 0930-1630/1700 (1 Oct-30 Apr); daily 0900-1730 (2 May-30 Sep). Closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 1 Nov, 11 Nov and 25 Dec. Admission Fees: Abbaye du Mont Saint-Michel: EUR7/FFr46 (adult over 25), EUR4.5/FFr30 (adult 18-25), free (child under 18). 
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