F

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reFrance :on and around the Mont Saint Michel

Photographic reportage by Bertrand RIEGER / hemis.fr

He pops up from the sands of its immense bay, like a sacredmountain stretching to the sky…Sanctuary, place of pilgrimage, rallying point for the tourists, the Mont Saint Michel captivates andbewitches for centuries. In the 6th century, a hermit settles downthere. Monks from the Order of Saint Benedict, retailers of the oldvillage, and builders of the Wonder will follow….until the visitors oftoday. At the moment, a brand new dam is about to bring back itsinsular nature, so let's take a walk on and around the “Mont”. Asaunter in kayak near Tombelaine, a shrimp fishing at dawn, Laudswith the monks of the abbey, a crossing of the bay without avoidingthe shifting sands…What else? The egg mixers of the Mere Poulard.The salt meadows graze the salicornia of the flooded grassland. Thepolders, with straight dikes, those belt the South of the bay. And ofcourse, St Michael archangel, wrapped in gold, who looks up anddown the bay from the top of his arrow...Vincent Noyoux

HEMIS_371624 : France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, Beach fisherman Guy Jugan lifting his netsfull of crangon crangon shrimps at dawn

HEMIS_371742France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, East side at high tide, listed as World Heritageby UNESCO, crossing the Bay of Mont Saint Michel in kayak (www.seakayak fr.com)

HEMIS_371686France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, MrAntoine Bacchiarotti looking at the Apse and the bay from the spire at dawn

HEMIS_020433France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO(aerial view)

HEMIS_371726France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, saltmarshes sheeps

HEMIS_371672France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, and theCouesnon River

HEMIS_371712France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, lunch in the current refectory of the monks of Monastic Fraternities ofJerusalem in the abbey lodgings

HEMIS_371606France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, square dipping nets fishing

HEMIS_371655France, Manche, crossing the Bay of Mont Saint Michel in kayak (www.seakayakfr.com) and seagulls flying

HEMIS_209494France, Manche, crossing on foot the Bay of Mont Saint Michel, listed as WorldHeritage by UNESCO

HEMIS_371634France, Ille et Vilaine, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, seenfrom the sea wall of the polders

HEMIS_371705France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, nave of the Abbey Church

HEMIS_371706France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, the cloister

HEMIS_371599 : France, Ille et Vilaine, flock of salt marshes sheeps of the Mont Saint Michel, Yannick Frain, farmer/breeder of salt marshessheep

HEMIS_371680France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, Abbey Church, brothers and sisters of the Monastic Fraternities ofJerusalem, the Lauds in the chapel of Trentes Cierges

HEMIS_371669France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, sister of Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem welcoming the believers of thevespers at la Porterie or salle des Gardes (Guards'room)

HEMIS_371709France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, buildings of la Merveille, room of the Chevaliersunder the cloister (knightsof the cloister)

HEMIS_371702France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, brother François Marie, head of the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem

HEMIS_371715France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, miniatures created by brother Sebastien, monk of Monastic Fraternities ofJerusalem

HEMIS_371708France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, stairs leading to the Salle des Hotes (Guest's room)

HEMIS_371664France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, buildings of the Wonder (La Merveille), the cloister

HEMIS_371684France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, Abbey,spire and gargoyles

HEMIS_371675France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, the restaurant called La Mere Poulard

HEMIS_371678France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, the restaurant called La Mere Poulard,preparation of the famous omelette

HEMIS_371609France, Manche, Avranches, Saint Gervais Church, relic of the skull of Saint Aubertwho founded the Mont Saint Michel, one notices the hole left by the finger of thearchangel

HEMIS_371721France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, Maisondes Artichauts (Artichoke house) on the left and above the Grande Rue and abbey

HEMIS_371679 : France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, Abbey Church, monk ringing the bellfor the Lauds

HEMIS_371595France, Ille et Vilaine, salt marshes of the Mont Saint Michel, Yannick Frain,farmer/breeder of salt marshes sheep

HEMIS_371661France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, the north buildings (cloister, the knights room) overlooking the bay at lowtide

HEMIS_371722France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, stairsleading to the Grande Rue from the ramparts of the Abbey

HEMIS_371690France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, the Church and the bay

HEMIS_371692France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, Abbey,spire and gargoyles

HEMIS_371694France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, the gargoyles of the church

HEMIS_371687France, Manche, the abbey of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage byUNESCO, Apse and bay seen from the spire at dawn

HEMIS_371724France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO,passageway under Saint Pierre parish church and the Grande Rue

HEMIS_371728France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, tower ofFanils and former barracks

HEMIS_371729France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, Bartizanunder the Abbey

HEMIS_371602France, Ille et Vilaine, the polder of Mont Saint Michel, Sainte Anne Chapel and theMount at the end of the sea wall

HEMIS_371630France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, road of the mills

HEMIS_020429 : France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO (aerial view)

HEMIS_371633France, Ille et Vilaine, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, the fields and polders of the mounton the Brittany side from Roz sur Couesnon

HEMIS_371637France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, the new dam created to efficiently dealwith the tides of Couesnon, at high tide

HEMIS_371646France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel with the projected shadow of the Mount

HEMIS_371652France, Manche, crossing the Bay of Mont Saint Michel in kayak (www.seakayakfr.com), arrival on the island of Tombelaine

HEMIS_371653France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, theMount seen from Tombelaine Island

HEMIS_371656France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, and thepolders

HEMIS_371670France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, and theaccess sea wall along the Cousenon

HEMIS_371727France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, saltmarshes sheeps

HEMIS_371730France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, SaintAubert Chapel and Gabriel tower under the Abbey on the West coast

HEMIS_209611France, Manche, bay of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO

HEMIS_371735France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, and theCouesnon River

HEMIS_371743France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, East side at high tide, listed as World Heritageby UNESCO

HEMIS_371673 : France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, and the Couesnon River

HEMIS_371613France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, Beach fisherman Guy Jugan lifting hisnets full of crangon crangon shrimps at dawn

HEMIS_371611France, Manche, walking discovery of the Bay of Mont Saint Michel, the guideRomain Pilon deep in the sand

HEMIS_371645France, Manche, crossing by walking of the Bay of Mont Saint Michel, listed as WorldHeritage by UNESCO

HEMIS_371617France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, Beach fisherman Guy Jugan lifting hisnets full of crangon crangon shrimps at dawn

HEMIS_371621France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, Beach fisherman Guy Jugan lifting hisnets full of crangon crangon shrimps at dawn

HEMIS_371636France, Manche, tide going up in the salt marshes of the Mont Saint Michel at dawn

HEMIS_371649France, Manche, Bay of Mont Saint Michel, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO,Mont Saint Michel at sunset

HEMIS_371718France, Manche, Mont Saint Michel, Snow globes, souvenirs of the mount