Normandy’s Most Popular Visitor Attraction

Normandy’s most popular visitor attraction waited almost 790 years for a facelift that cost over 2.6 million euros. Was it worth the wait and the price tag? Absolutely! The cloister at Mont Saint Michel in Normandy was completed in 1228. In 2017 the renovation work started and lasted for 18 months. The photos in the link below show the extent of the restoration work. This included lowering the floors by 15cm. Many of the surfaces were cleaned such as the wooden vaulted ceilings, the stone work and the spandrels above the columns. The spandrels are intricately and beautifully decorated with a botanical theme. This would have been a painstaking job. 

Traditionally cloisters are built at the centre of the abbey with all the monastic buildings leading off it. However, Mont Saint Michel’s cloister was built on top of other buildings as a place of prayer for the monks. It’s is accessed via a small courtyard which leads from the abbey church. The cloister then leads to the refectory. It has remained open throughout the work except when materials have been delivered by helicopter. The garden will be planted in spring 2018 to finally complete the restoration project. Despite the numerous visitors that pass through here every year, the cloister retains a sense of peace and tranquility. It is a fitting reminder of its original purpose of prayer and reflection.

You can find out more about Normandy’s most popular visitor attraction.

Click here for photos of the restoration work at Mont-Saint Michel.