02/25/2007 | Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy

It is home to the unusual Benedictine Abbey and steepled church (built between the 11th and 16th centuries) which occupy most of the one-kilometer-diameter clump of rocks jutting out of the waters of the English Channel.

Facts: The Mont Saint-Michel was also featured in a scene in the 2004 animated Disney movie Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers, in which Captain Pete of the Musketeers attempted to drown Mickey Mouse in order to carry out his plot to take over France's monarchy as king without interruption. Pete even mentions it by name, telling Mickey before leaving the dungeon, "Enjoy your stay at the Mont Saint-Michel -- they say the tide comes in faster than horses!" This is in reference to the cathedral's history as a jail for political prisoners, as well as Victor Hugo's description of the tides.

Mont Saint-Michel, along with St Michael's Mount, was an inspiration for the design of Minas Tirith in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King film by Peter Jackson.

01:34 Posted in France, May 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0)