A Fortress Island in the Custody of an Angel

Beauty: The wonder of Mont Saint Michel

This amazing “tidal island,” as it is called, sits just off the coast of Normandy in Northwestern France, and according to one ancient legend, it is the very place where St. Michael cast Satan from Heaven to earth (see Rev 12:12).

I don’t know if I’d want to live around there if Satan entered the earthly realm right at that spot, but ancient legends are a bit sketchy in details, so we’ll just let that one stand.

A second legend has greater historical legitimacy: St. Michael appeared to the local bishop, Aubert, in 708 AD and told him to build a fortress on that spot. When St. Michael tells you to do something, people generally do it. And the island fortress is testimony enough to the good bishop’s obedience.

Mont Saint Michel also has the fame of being the only unconquered fortress in France. The last time there was an attempt by a hostile invader to take the island was during the lifetime of St. Joan of Arc (1412-1431), who was just a child when the English tried to take it during the Hundred Years War.

The island is topped by a monastery and a magnificent Gothic church, and to this day a community of contemplative nuns and priests live there to pray for the soul of France.

In the picture you see what looks like mud all around the island. That is because the tides in that area are rather dramatic. Several times a year they rise and fall as much as fifty feet, which is one reason it has always been so hard to conquer.

If you’ve ever been there, you’ll know that the island has a distinct beauty and mystical quality to it. Any placed blessed by St. Michael the Archangel must be a sacred window into heaven.