圣米歇尔山，法国诺曼底 The island of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France (© DaLiu/Getty Images)

圣米歇尔山，法国诺曼底 The island of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France (© DaLiu/Getty Images)

一个神圣的愿望孕育了第一个小教堂 A saintly vision inspired the first chapel

Mont-Saint-Michel

The stunning sight of Mont-Saint-Michel rising out of the bay is unforgettable. And visiting the island will be too, if you time it right. The paved causeway is accessible only when the tide is out; otherwise, you're at the mercy of the muddy flats, dangerous quicksand, and the quickly rising tide.

Today's visitors are following in the footsteps of pilgrims who for centuries traversed Europe to pray at the sacred site. The local bishop of Avranches built a chapel on this rock in 708 after the archangel St. Michael visited him in a dream, and the rest, as they say, is history. Now the island, half a mile off the coast of Normandy in northwestern France, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its permanent population is fewer than 50 people, including a dozen or so monks and nuns, but more than 3 million visitors cross over to the island most years.

圣米歇尔山

圣米歇尔山从海湾升起的壮观景象令人难忘。如果时间合适的话，去岛上游玩也会很愉快。铺砌的堤道只有在退潮时才能到达；否则，你将任由泥泞的平地、危险的流沙和快速上涨的潮水摆布。

今天的游客正追随几个世纪以来穿越欧洲、在圣地祈祷的朝圣者的脚步。公元708年，大天使圣迈克尔在梦中拜访了阿夫兰切斯的当地主教，之后他在这块岩石上修建了一座小教堂，其余的，正如他们所说的，已经成为历史。现在，这个岛距离法国西北部诺曼底海岸半英里，是联合国教科文组织的世界遗产。该岛的常住人口不到50人，其中包括十几名僧侣和尼姑，但大多数年份有300多万游客前往该岛。