Mont Saint-Michel is an "island" off of the coast of Normandy in France.
When most people hear Normandy, WWII is the only thing that come to mind.
France is actually split into regions much like the United States is split into states.
One of these regions happens to be Normandy
which is where we invaded and where Mont Saint-Michel happens to be located.
Mont Saint-Michel was first used in the sixth and seventh centuries as a place for the Romano-Bretons could have culture and power.
Basically as a place of status, and was invaded by different groups for a couple hundred years.
At the end of the eighth century, construction began for the first monestary.
The monestary was firmly established
during the eleventh century and turned into a prized posession by kings of France.
The English tried to invade it many times unsuccessfully
which just added to the pride in the piece of land.
Finally, by the time of the French Reformation, there were barely any monks living at the monestary.
So, to be efficient, the French turned it into a prison to hold people against the current regime.
The prison was closed in the mid 1800s and became a national monument.
It has since become a much visited spot for
tourists to see culture as well as natural and man-made beauty.
