Mont Saint-Michel
Medieval Tidal Power
Tidal power makes headlines today for being a possible method to generate power without creating any greenhouse gas emissions. However, the power of moving water is not a new revelation. Mont Saint Michel is an example of how humans have been combining human ingenuity with the natural power of the tides with spectacular success and creating the greatest tidal fortress and monastery in the world.
As the bus travels from the train station towards the coast I become aware we are approaching our destination by gasps of wonder from the fellow passengers. This causes me to turn my head to the window and I soon join them. A magnificent fortified building stands off the coast topped with a grand abbey. Previously, the only way to access the fortress and village was to wait for low tide and walk across the exposed beach. Nowadays, thankfully, there is a bridge which the bus is able to use to drop us off near the huge stone walls. From the bus I take a moment to fully comprehend the view ahead of me, then I enter the fortified gates and begin my ascent and exploration through the winding narrow streets and battlements to the summit.
The mount was formed from the coastal erosion of the surrounding land, just leaving several solid granite islands in the shallow bay. The first church was constructed in the 700s with the current main building beginning in around 1060 and being continually improved and expanded for the next 300 years. With huge walls and ramparts being constructed, the construction of the village and many cellars and rooms to support the structure above in a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic styles.
These upgraded walls and defences would very quickly prove useful when English knights arrived on shores of Normandy.
During the Hundred years war the huge walls and maximising the use of the environmental forces around would allow Mont Saint Michel to be one of the regions of Normandy to be able to withstand the English occupation. Even multiple attempts to directly assault the island would end in failure as the walls stood solid and the incoming tides forced any assault to be abandoned after a few hours. The stories of resistance of the people in the fortress/abbey would be an inspiration to many others in France, possibly even the most famous character of this period, Joan of Arc.
The superb defensive capabilities provided by tides would be reversed in 1791, when instead of keeping people out the buildings were used to stop people leaving and the island and abbey were turned into a prison. The prison was used to hold people deemed to be enemies of the revolution, including author of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame- Victor Hugo.
Unfortunately, the tidal based defences could not remain successful forever. In World War Two the island was occupied and converted into an observation station by German soldiers. During this time the island was opened to German tourists which proved to be extremely popular with 70 000 visitors in just the first 8 months of being opened.
In the years since the end of the Second World War, Mont Saint Michel has grown into a huge tourist attraction. With the construction of a permanent bridge to connect the island to the mainland even at high tide, the popularity of Mont Saint Michel sky rocketed making it the most visited landmark in France outside of Paris. With hundreds of thousands of people travelling from around the world to see this historic, beautiful and unique place. Myself included!
As I leave this magnificent place, it makes me appreciate how important it is to make use of the forces of nature to amplify and increase the effectiveness of engineering. Especially now the need to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels has never been more clear. By returning to using natural forces of the wind, sun and tides more in engineering more sustainable projects.
