Mont Saint Michel and Chartres

In my second year at Dominican College, I took a course called Readings in Medieval Philosophy. One of the books I read for that class was Henry Adams’ Mont Saint Michel and Chartres. In the book, Adams describes the history of these places, gives detailed sketches of their architecture, and explains how they reflect the philosophy of their time. I found it a fascinating read the second time around (I had to write two papers on it, so I read it more than once) – the first time I got a bit bogged down with all the architectural details, but in subsequent readings, the history and philosophy stood out much more. Since reading this book I began to dream of one day visiting Mont Saint Michel and Chartres. On this trip, Brendan made sure that those dreams would come true.

I woke up very excited on January 5^th. As we drove towards the coast, I spotted the tower of Mont Saint Michel in the distance and felt all electric inside – it was like Christmas morning as a kid! We stopped several times on the side of the road to take pictures of the mount as we approached. I could hardly believe we were actually there – it looked even more mystical than in the countless pictures I had seen. The base of the mount is full of tourist shops and restaurants, which we passed quickly on our way up to the abbey. The top of the mount offers a beautiful view of the ocean, which in times past made Mont Saint Michel an island at high tide (and thus a virtually impenetrable fortress). We decided to rent an audio guide for the abbey, to make our visit as engaging as possible. I’m glad we did, as it certainly helped us to appreciate the history and architecture of this impressive place.

A highlight for both of us in our visit was the unexpected opportunity to attend Mass with the religious who live there. The Benedictine Abbey on Mont Saint Michel was originally constructed in the 8^th century, but since then it has seen much renovation and varied residents (it was used as a prison during the French Revolution). Fortunately, its religious purpose has now been restored. The community Les Fraternités Monastiques de Jérusalem have been there since 2001. I knew there were religious living there again, but it had not crossed my mind that we might have the good fortune to celebrate Mass with them. As we entered the main chapel, we saw a sign indicating that Mass had begun in one of the crypts. Brendan suggested we go down, even if we were a bit late. As we walked down to the crypt, we were met with a chorus of both male and female voices, singing hymns in harmony. It was beautiful. As it turned out, Mass had not yet begun, so we were able to attend the whole thing. At the sign of peace the religious turned around to greet the visitors, and smiles abounded at the sight of Liam. He received blessings, kisses, and looks of love from eyes full of God. Witnessing their delight in my little son brought me to tears. The Holy Spirit was thick in the room, and my heart brimmed with gratitude.

The crypt where we attended Mass

We continued our tour of the abbey after Mass, losing ourselves in centuries past. It was better than I hoped it would be. As we left Brendan asked me how it felt to have a dream come true. Good. It felt really good.

The main chapel

Cloister

Brendan is touching the rock of the mount
upon which the abbey is built

We had a lunch of crepes at a restaurant on the mount and then got back on the road, headed towards Chartres – another place I had dreamed of seeing. The drive was long and since we would be arriving in the evening, our cathedral visit was planned for the next day.

Chartres Cathedral is famous for its exquisite stained glass windows. Before reading about it in Henry Adams’ book, I had learned of its beauty from George Weigel’s Letters to a Young Catholic. Weigel takes the reader to various places of particular significance to Catholics and uses the features of the place to describe some aspect of the faith. It’s a well-written and insightful book, and a good source of ideas for places to visit! In the letter from Chartres, Weigel talks about the Catholic notion of beauty – a most fitting topic for such a magnificent place. Once again, Brendan and I took advantage of audio guides to enrich our visit. Each stained glass window and sculpture at Chartres tells a story, and it was nice to have a guide which explained the significance of the images. Chartres’ reputation for beauty is certainly merited – the craftsmanship displayed there is astounding. It is a place of light and colour, which speaks clearly of the glory of God. I felt privileged to be there, and once again, very very grateful.