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

The pillar of the earth