The French abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel is celebrating its anniversary. And it is that 1,000 years have passed since the laying of the first stone that would give shape to this town built on a small rocky island in the estuary of the Couesnon river, in Normandy.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a key tourist magnet for Normandy, it will celebrate its anniversary with exhibitions, dance performances and concerts that will continue until November.
Legend has it that the Archangel Michael appeared in 708, duly instructing the Bishop of Avranches to build him a church on the rocky outcrop.
Four crypts were built on the granite tip along with a church on top. An exhibition, two years in the making, explains how the original structure — built in 966 — became too small for pilgrims, prompting builders to create the 11th-century abbey that stands to this day. .
The authorities have tried in recent years to protect the environment surrounding the monument from the impact of mass tourism. One of the most popular French destinations outside of Paris, the island of Mont-Saint-Michel drew 2.8 million visitors last year, including 1.3 million for the abbey.
