Sheep and Mont Saint Michel
by Steve Templeton
Title
Sheep and Mont Saint Michel
Artist
Steve Templeton
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photograph
Description
Having spent the entire day at Mont-Saint-Michel, and we were driving away, I looked behind me and saw this scene. In true photographer fashion, I whipped the little diesel rental car over onto the side of the road, and jumped out with camera in hand.
The Mont-Saint-Michel is one of Europe’s most unforgettable sights. Set in a mesmerizing bay shared by Normandy and Brittany, the mount draws the eye from a great distance.
This staggeringly beautiful location has long captured the imagination. The story of how the mount came to be a great Christian pilgrimage site dates back to the early 8th century, when Aubert, bishop of the nearby hilltop town of Avranches, claimed that the Archangel Michael himself had pressured him into having a church built atop the island just out to sea.
From 966 onwards, the dukes of Normandy, followed by the French kings, supported the development of a major Benedictine abbey on Mont-Saint-Michel. Magnificent monastic buildings were added throughout the Middle Ages, one vertiginous wing in particular being nicknamed the Marvel. The Abbey of the Mont-Saint-Michel became a renowned centre of learning, attracting some of the greatest minds and manuscript illuminators in Europe. Vast numbers of pilgrims visited, despite endless cross-Channel conflict; in fact, the ramparts at the base of the island were built to keep the English forces out. Other fine buildings line the steep village street, now converted into museums, restaurants, hotels and shops for today’s tourists.
Ah, France! It seemed to me the whole country was just one fantastic photo opportunity after another! Any direction I turned, there was something photo worthy. I teach my photography students, that if they wish to take more interesting photos, they need to travel to somewhere more interesting than their usual or current haunts. The entire country of France fulfills that requirement splendidly for this West Texas native.
Uploaded
June 17th, 2022
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