A dramatic island off the coast of Normandy, France, Mont-St-Michel is home to an abbey that dates back to the 11th century. The island, with its fast and fickle tides, was a notorious prison during the French Revolution of 1789. Mont-St-Michel celebrated its 1300th anniversary in 2008.
Only a narrow causeway built in1880 links the island to the mainland. Popularly nicknamed "St. Michael in peril of the sea" by medieval pilgrims making their way across the flats, the mount can still pose dangers for visitors who avoid the causeway and attempt the hazardous walk across the sands from the neighbouring coast. The brave hiker in this photo gives a visualization of the vast scale of the place.
location normandy, france
photographer patrick connolly
