Mont-Saint-Michel wants to be a pilgrimage site

Paris - The Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy is the third most visited monument in France, but its spiritual administration and some local enthusiasts would like to restore its character as a pilgrimage site and connect it with other St. Michael-related sites in Europe. The possibilities of how to achieve this were the subject of a two-day meeting held at the end of the week in Caen. Representatives from the Council of Europe also participated, which this year included "ways to St. Michael" on its list of significant European cultural itineraries.
    The Director of the European Institute of Cultural Itineraries, Michel Thomas-Penette, referring to the great success of pilgrimages to the Galician Santiago de Compostela, told AFP that "there is a real demand for new pilgrimage routes".
    Drawing on experiences from the Santiago pilgrimage, which attracts tens of thousands of people annually and has an entire network of shelters and waypoints created for them, the Normandy Association of Routes to Saint-Michel aims to mark old pilgrimage routes to Mont-Saint-Michel, emphasize the cultural values of the places they pass through, and propose accommodation options for pilgrims. Another goal is to connect the Norman abbey with other significant sites of worship of Archangel Michael in Europe, including the oldest of them, Monte Sant'Angelo on the Italian peninsula of Gargano, which was founded in 493.
    The initiative is related to the 1300th anniversary of the abbey's founding, which will be celebrated next year. It was established by the bishop of nearby Avranches on a rocky island where the archangel Michael is said to have appeared to him. In the Middle Ages, it was a significant pilgrimage site visited by French kings. Now, more than three million tourists visit yearly to admire its architectural values and exceptional location.
    The list of cultural itineraries by the Council of Europe includes 24 items. Some, such as the Mozart itinerary, include locations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.