The Mont Saint Michel has almost become a commonplace landmark in France. However, just as Marie-Madeleine Davy was writing in her book “Initiation to the Romanesque symbolism”, the spiritual man approaches (medieval) art in a soaring campaign that conquers symbols and allegories. The Mount reveals its numinous edge and once it has been seen, it doesn’t wash away.
In the three hours that I spent inside the Mount, I caught glimpses of these fleeting displays of sacred presence. The monastic solitude, bereft of apparent tranquility, keeps tireless tourists and their camera flashes at bay. Despite the bustling and hustling, I could still hear the millennium-old chant that still echos in the granite walls.
Monastic rapture
Early 12th c. Madonna with child
Darkness transfigured
Ex monasterio Sancti Michaelis in periculo maris