|
MONT ST See also:MICHEL , a rocky islet of western See also:France, off the See also:coast of the See also:department of See also:Manche, some 6 m. N. of Pontorson. Pop. (1906), 238. It forms a towering See also:mass of See also:granite about 3000 ft. in circumference and 165 ft. in height, rising near the mouth of the Couesnon nearly a mile from the See also:shore, to which it is See also:united by a See also:causeway. The fortress-See also:abbey to which Mont St Michel owes its fame stands upon the more precipitous See also:side of the islet towards the See also:north and See also:west, the sloping portion towards the See also:east and See also:south being occupied by houses. A strong machicolated and turreted See also:wall surrounds the See also:rock, See also:running along its See also:base on the south, ascending See also:half-way up the cliff on the north, on which side it stands See also:close to the abbey wall, and again descending on the west. The See also:northern and See also:oldest portion of the ramparts See also:dates from the 13th See also:century; the single gateway by which they are pierced is on the south and is a See also:good example of the military See also:architecture of the 15th century. The single See also:street of the See also:island curves from the gateway up to the abbey, ending in flights of steps leading to the See also:donjon or See also:chatelet. It is bordered by old houses, among which is one built by See also:Bertrand du Guesclin in 1366, and contains a See also:parish See also:- CHURCH
- CHURCH (according to most authorities derived from the Gr. Kvpcaxov [&wµa], " the Lord's [house]," and common to many Teutonic, Slavonic and other languages under various forms—Scottish kirk, Ger. Kirche, Swed. kirka, Dan. kirke, Russ. tserkov, Buig. cerk
- CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN (1826-1900)
- CHURCH, GEORGE EARL (1835–1910)
- CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM (1815–189o)
- CHURCH, SIR RICHARD (1784–1873)
church of the 15th century. The abbey itself consists of an assemblage of buildings in three storeys upon massive See also:foundations around the church, the most important portion, the Merveille, extending to the north. The See also:floor of the church, built partly on the rock, partly upon foundations, and, at the east end, over a See also:crypt, is on a level with the uppermost See also:storey of the monastic buildings. To the north of and below the See also:apse lies the See also:group of buildings known as the Belle-See also:Chaise. It comprises the chatelet (15th century), a square entrance structure strengthened by flanking turrets and See also:machicolation, the adjoining guard-See also:room (13th century) with the salle
See also:des officiers above it, and behind all the Tour Perrine. The Merveille (1203—1264) consists of two continuous buildings of three storeys, that on the east containing, one above the other, the See also:hospitium (aumonerie), See also:refectory and See also:dormitory, that on the west the cellar, knights' See also:- HALL
- HALL (generally known as SCHWABISCH-HALL, tc distinguish it from the small town of Hall in Tirol and Bad-Hall, a health resort in Upper Austria)
- HALL (O.E. heall, a common Teutonic word, cf. Ger. Halle)
- HALL, BASIL (1788-1844)
- HALL, CARL CHRISTIAN (1812–1888)
- HALL, CHARLES FRANCIS (1821-1871)
- HALL, CHRISTOPHER NEWMAN (1816—19oz)
- HALL, EDWARD (c. 1498-1547)
- HALL, FITZEDWARD (1825-1901)
- HALL, ISAAC HOLLISTER (1837-1896)
- HALL, JAMES (1793–1868)
- HALL, JAMES (1811–1898)
- HALL, JOSEPH (1574-1656)
- HALL, MARSHALL (1790-1857)
- HALL, ROBERT (1764-1831)
- HALL, SAMUEL CARTER (5800-5889)
- HALL, SIR JAMES (1761-1832)
- HALL, WILLIAM EDWARD (1835-1894)
hall (salle des chevaliers) and See also:cloister. Of the apartments, all of the finest See also:Gothic architecture, the See also:chief are the refectory, divid'ed down the centre by columns and lighted by large embrasured windows, and the knights' hall, a superb chamber, the vaulting of which is supported on three rows of cylindrical pillars. The cloister, one of the purest and most graceful See also:works of the 13th century, is surrounded by See also:double lines of slender columns carrying pointed arcades, between which delicate floral designs are carved. The exterior wall of the Merveille is of remarkable boldness; reaching a height of ro8 ft., it is supported by twenty buttresses and pierced with a variety of openings. The church, which rises high above the buildings clustering See also:round it, consists of transepts and four bays of the See also:nave of Romanesque architecture and of a See also:fine See also:choir (1450—1521) in the Flamboyant Gothic See also:style with a See also:triforium surmounted by lofty windows. This choir replaced one which collapsed in 1431. In 1776 three of the seven bays of the nave were pulled down, and soon after the incongruous western front was added. The finest See also:part of the exterior is the choir, which is ornamented with a profusion of carved pinnacles and balustrading. The central See also:tower terminates in a Gothic See also:spire surmounted by a gilded See also:bronze statue of St See also:Michael.
Mont St Michel was a sacred See also:place from the earliest times. In the 8th century an See also:oratory was established there by St Aubert, See also:bishop of See also:Avranches, in obedience to the commands of an apparition of St Michael. The place soon became a noted resort of pilgrims, not only from all parts of France, but also from See also:Great See also:Britain, See also:Ireland and See also:Italy. In 966 See also:Richard I., See also:duke of See also:Normandy, founded in place of the oratory a See also:Benedictine monastery, which in the succeeding century received a considerable See also:share of the spoils of the See also:conquest of See also:England. In 1203 the monastery was burnt by the troops of See also:- PHILIP
- PHILIP (Gr.'FiXtrsro , fond of horses, from dn)^eiv, to love, and limos, horse; Lat. Philip pus, whence e.g. M. H. Ger. Philippes, Dutch Filips, and, with dropping of the final s, It. Filippo, Fr. Philippe, Ger. Philipp, Sp. Felipe)
- PHILIP, JOHN (1775-1851)
- PHILIP, KING (c. 1639-1676)
- PHILIP, LANOGRAVE OF HESSE (1504-1567)
Philip See also:Augustus, who afterwards furnished large sums for its restoration (La Merveille). St See also:- LOUIS
- LOUIS (804–876)
- LOUIS (893–911)
- LOUIS, JOSEPH DOMINIQUE, BARON (1755-1837)
- LOUIS, or LEWIS (from the Frankish Chlodowich, Chlodwig, Latinized as Chlodowius, Lodhuwicus, Lodhuvicus, whence-in the Strassburg oath of 842-0. Fr. Lodhuwigs, then Chlovis, Loys and later Louis, whence Span. Luiz and—through the Angevin kings—Hungarian
Louis made a See also:pilgrimage to Mont St Michel, and afterwards supplied funds which were spent on the fortifications. A See also:garrison and military See also:governor subordinate to the See also:- ABBOT (from the Hebrew ab, a father, through the Syriac abba, Lat. abbas, gen. abbatis, O.E. abbad, fr. late Lat. form abbad-em changed in 13th century under influence of the Lat. form to abbat, used alternatively till the end of the 17th century; Ger. Ab
- ABBOT, EZRA (1819-1884)
- ABBOT, GEORGE (1603-1648)
- ABBOT, ROBERT (1588?–1662?)
- ABBOT, WILLIAM (1798-1843)
abbot were also installed. During the last See also:thirty years of the See also:Hundred Years' See also:War the abbey offered a persistent resistance to the See also:English. In 1469 Louis XI. instituted the See also:- ORDER
- ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
- ORDER, HOLY
Order of St Michel, which held its meetings in the salle des chevaliers. During the See also:Wars of See also:Religion, the See also:Huguenots repeatedly made unsuccessful attempts to seize the fortress, which opened its See also:gates to See also:- HENRY
- HENRY (1129-1195)
- HENRY (c. 1108-1139)
- HENRY (c. 1174–1216)
- HENRY (Fr. Henri; Span. Enrique; Ger. Heinrich; Mid. H. Ger. Heinrich and Heimrich; O.H.G. Haimi- or Heimirih, i.e. " prince, or chief of the house," from O.H.G. heim, the Eng. home, and rih, Goth. reiks; compare Lat. rex " king "—" rich," therefore " mig
- HENRY, EDWARD LAMSON (1841– )
- HENRY, JAMES (1798-1876)
- HENRY, JOSEPH (1797-1878)
- HENRY, MATTHEW (1662-1714)
- HENRY, PATRICK (1736–1799)
- HENRY, PRINCE OF BATTENBERG (1858-1896)
- HENRY, ROBERT (1718-1790)
- HENRY, VICTOR (1850– )
- HENRY, WILLIAM (1795-1836)
Henry IV. in 1595 after his See also:abjuration. In 1622 the Benedictine monks of Mont St Michel were replaced by monks of the See also:Congregation of St Maur. In the 18th and ,9th centuries the abbey was used as a See also:prison for See also:political offenders, serving this purpose until 1863, when an extensive restoration, begun in 1838, was resumed. The See also:building is the See also:property of the See also:Commission of See also:Historical Monuments, which has carried on the See also:work of restoration with great architectural and antiquarian ability.
End of Article: MONT ST MICHEL
Additional information and Comments
There are no comments yet for this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.
Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.
|
del.icio.us it!