Le Mont-Saint-Michel (French pronunciation: ​[lə mɔ̃ sɛ̃ miʃɛl]; Norman: Mont Saint Miché, English: Saint Michael's Mount) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France.

The island lies approximately one kilometre (0.6 miles) off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is 7 hectares (17 acres) in area. The mainland part of the commune is 393 hectares (971 acres) in area so that the total surface of the commune is 400 hectares (988 acres).

As of 2017, the island had a population of 30.

The commune's position—on an island just a few hundred metres from land—made it accessible at low tide to the many pilgrims to its abbey, but defensible as an incoming tide stranded, drove off, or drowned would-be assailants. The island remained unconquered during the Hundred Years' War; a small garrison fended off a full attack by the English in 1433. Louis XI recognised the reverse benefits of its natural defence and turned it into a prison. The abbey was used regularly as a prison during the Ancien Régime.

Mont Saint-Michel and its bay are on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. It is visited by more than 3 million people each year. Over 60 buildings within the commune are protected in France as monuments historiques.

Now a rocky tidal island, the Mont occupied dry land in prehistoric times. As sea levels rose, erosion reshaped the coastal landscape, and several outcrops of granite emerged in the bay, having resisted the wear and tear of the ocean better than the surrounding rocks. These included Lillemer, the Mont Dol, Tombelaine (the island just to the north), and Mont Tombe, later called Mont Saint-Michel.

Mont-Saint-Michel consists of leucogranite which solidified from an underground intrusion of molten magma about 525 million years ago, during the Cambrian period, as one of the younger parts of the Mancellian granitic batholith. (Early studies of Mont Saint-Michel by French geologists sometimes describe the leucogranite of the Mont as "granulite", but this granitic meaning of granulite is now obsolete.)

The Mont has a circumference of about 960 m (3,150 ft) and its highest point is 92 m (302 ft) above sea level

The tides vary greatly, at roughly 14 metres (46 ft) between highest and lowest water marks. Popularly nicknamed "St. Michael in peril of the sea" by medieval pilgrims making their way across the flats, the mount can still pose dangers for visitors who avoid the causeway and attempt the hazardous walk across the sands from the neighbouring coast.

Polderisation and occasional flooding have created salt marsh meadows that were found to be ideally suited to grazing sheep. The well-flavoured meat that results from the diet of the sheep in the pré salé (salt meadow) makes agneau de pré-salé (salt meadow lamb), a local speciality that may be found on the menus of restaurants that depend on income from the many visitors to the mount.

The connection between the Mont Saint-Michel and the mainland has changed over the centuries. Previously connected by a tidal causeway uncovered only at low tide, this was converted into a raised causeway in 1879, preventing the tide from scouring the silt around the mount. The coastal flats have also been polderised to create pastureland, decreasing the distance between the shore and the island, and the Couesnon River has been canalised, reducing the dispersion of the flow of water. These factors all encouraged silting-up of the bay.

On 16 June 2006, the French prime minister and regional authorities announced a €200 million project (Projet Mont-Saint-Michel) to build a hydraulic dam using the waters of the Couesnon and the tides to help remove the accumulated silt, and to make Mont Saint-Michel an island again. The construction of the dam began in 2009. The project also includes the removal of the causeway and its visitor car park. Since 28 April 2012, the new car park on the mainland has been located 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) from the island. Visitors can walk or use shuttles to cross the causeway.

On 22 July 2014, the new bridge by architect Dietmar Feichtinger was opened to the public. The light bridge allows the waters to flow freely around the island and improves the efficiency of the now operational dam. The project, which cost €209 million, was officially opened by President François Hollande.

On rare occasions, tidal circumstances produce an extremely high "supertide". The new bridge was completely submerged on 21 March 2015 by the highest sea level, for a once-in-18-years-occurrence, as crowds gathered to snap photos.

In the 11th century, William of Volpiano, the Italian architect who had built Fécamp Abbey in Normandy, was chosen by Richard II, Duke of Normandy, to be the building contractor. He designed the Romanesque church of the abbey, daringly placing the transept crossing at the top of the mount. Many underground crypts and chapels had to be built to compensate for this weight; these formed the basis for the supportive upward structure that can be seen today. Today Mont Saint-Michel is seen as a building of Romanesque architecture.

Robert de Thorigny, a great supporter of Henry II of England (who was also Duke of Normandy), reinforced the structure of the buildings and built the main façade of the church in the 12th century. In 1204, Guy of Thouars, regent for the Duchess of Brittany, as vassal of the King of France, undertook a siege of the Mount. After having set fire to the village and having massacred the population, he was obliged to beat a retreat under the powerful walls of the abbey. Unfortunately, the fire which he himself lit extended to the buildings, and the roofs fell prey to the flames. Horrified by the cruelty and the exactions of his Breton ally, Philip Augustus offered Abbot Jordan a grant for the reconstruction of the abbey in the new Gothic architectural style.[18]

Charles VI is credited with adding major fortifications to the abbey-mount, building towers, successive courtyards, and strengthening the ramparts.

Testimonials

“We knew that we had found someone very special when we chose Eric to capture our wedding(s). We had planned a special day in Scotland, however had also planned a smaller family celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia the following weekend. It was important for us to have a consistent narrator and someone who was able to capture the vibrance of the days, in both countries in the same way, yet highlight the contrasting environments beautifully, and Eric was the only person for that role! It was a role that we didn’t even know if someone would be willing or able to do, and we could not believe it when he said that he would travel the world to help us document this time in our lives! The shots that he captured tell the story of the two days so beautifully. The life, the joy, the finer details, the brilliant conversations that we forgot we had, the roaring laughter, and the more sentimental moments. The photos gave us everything that we could have hoped for from that special time and more. A truly remarkable talent, with a way of making you feel completely at ease, and seamlessly capturing everything without us even realizing that he was. We cannot thank him enough for all that he did for us, we are forever grateful.” F&D

"From the moment we discovered Eric-René’s photography and met up with him to discuss capturing our wedding, it was meant to be. His work resonated with us deeply, particularly his bohemian and natural feel, emotive and poetic. We wanted raw, truthful storytelling and that’s exactly what he delivered. We were blown away by the magic he brought to our day and the quality of his artistry that followed. He is a joy to work with, and melted into the proceedings so you weren’t even aware that he was shooting, he made us feel so comfortable and everything simply flowed. Eric-René is a wonderful person as well as a talented photographer and has personally brought me a lot of inspiration through his warmth, kindness, and passion to empower others through creativity and connection. Thank you Eric-Rene, from the bottom of our hearts." H&M

“Thank you so much for being the best photographer and friend, so happy how the photographs turned out to be the most unique and beautiful testimony. We are blown away by the narrative, and many weeks after it feels like we never left the party. We could not have asked for a better experience” G&L