nt Saint Michel Abbey

BY :PRINCE
MUZZAKIR
NEHA
B.ARCH 4TH YEAR

INTRODUCTION
Mont-Saint-Michel
Situated on the north Normandy and
Brittany coast of France, between the
city's of Saint Malo and Avranches
Sall castle rising up from a flat bay of
sand and water.
Culture centre of Western Christianity is the border point
of Normandy and Brittany in France
TheABBEYchurhisanessentialpartofthestructural
compositionofthetown
Listedasworldheritagesitein1979.

HISTORY

Mont St. Michel is named after the arch-angel

St. Michael.
known as the Merveille de l'Occident or
Wonder of the Western World.
church structure was completed in 1144.
According to legend, St. Michael the
Archangel appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of
Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build
a church on the rocky island.
Before construction,the island was called mont
tombe.

ARCHITECTURE

Firstly Church was built in Roman style .

In 1421 the roman choir collapsed.
It was rebuilt in Gothic style from 1446 to 1523.
The granite used to build the abbey was transported by
boat from the nearby Isles of Chausey .
Theabbey is divided in two parts
: the church-abbey
and
the "Merveille".
The "Merveille" was the monk living area has
agothicfront .
The columns, arranged inquincunx or series.
were originally made oflimestonefromEnglandbut were
later restored usingpuddingstonefromLucerne.

Interior of the church- Classic facade of the

Pilar in one of the lodging roo
church-abbey
Saintabbey Saint-Michel.
Michel.

Nave of the abbey

The cloister

Abbey with the

"Merveille" to the

 The Old Town

The houses are mostly timber
framed.
The street is constructed of corbels.
Roman style of architecture used.

Garden Of Cloister
The cloister has in the middle amedieval
garden.
Recreated in 1966 by brother Bruno de
Senneville, aBenedictmonk.
The center is made of box tree surrounded by
13Damascus roses.
The squares of medicinal plants, aromatic
herbs and flowers symbolize the daily needs
ofMiddle agemonks.

the cloisters function is above all a communications centre

inspired by the atrium of a Roman villa and providing
access to all the essential rooms
The cloister is designed to be closed off to the outside yet
extremely open to the centre.
It is placed so that no other building rises higher and the
slope of the roof reaches directly up towards the sky
drawing our attention upwards towards heaven giving the
monks a continual reminder of the subject of their
meditation.

 the small columns, is abundantly

covered with sculpture.
the spandrels between the
arches are filled with plant elements.