Abbaye du Mont Saint Michel (Manche)

Nature, faith and the talent of men founded and shaped this monument over more than a millennium. Its long history begins in 708 when the first monks appear. In 966, the Benedictines settled on the Mount at the request of the Duke of Normandy, Richard I and develop the new monastery.

From then on, the Abbey continues to grow and becomes a major place of pilgrimage in the Christian West, and a center of medieval culture where extraordinary manuscripts are produced and stored. It is also a political and intellectual crossroads where the Carolingian traditions and the influence of Greco-Arabic worlds meet. All areas of monastic life fit together and overlap around the edge of the granite rock and form a coherent and beautiful whole.

A testimony of the mastery and expertise of the builders of the Middle Ages, the abbey chapel combines Carolingian and Romanesque religious structures, a Gothic ensemble called “The Marvel” and a Flamboyant Gothic choir.

$168,000

The Florence Gould Foundation

2017