Mont-Saint-Michel is the name of a tidal island located off the coasts of Normandy and Brittany, near the mouths of the Couesnon River and the town of Avranches in France. While the island of Mont-Saint-Michel has held cultural, religious, and strategic value since the Merovingians held power over the region, Mont-Saint-Michel is universally recognized today as the site of a beautiful Gothic-style Benedictine abbey, which was constructed from the 11-16th centuries CE and dedicated to the Archangel St. Michael. Aptly called the “Wonder of the West", Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 CE, and the island's abbey is one of France's most popular sites with over 3 millions visitors per year.

? ? ? ? ? 圣米歇爾山（Mont-Saint-Michel）是諾曼底和布列塔尼海岸附近的一個(gè)潮汐島的名字，位于法國庫埃農(nóng)河口和阿夫朗什鎮(zhèn)附近。自墨洛溫王朝統(tǒng)治該地區(qū)以來，圣米歇爾山島就一直具有文化、宗教和戰(zhàn)略價(jià)值，而今天，圣米歇爾山島被公認(rèn)為是一座美麗的哥特式本篤會修道院的所在地，這座修道院建于公元 11-16 世紀(jì)，供奉大天使長圣米迦勒。圣米歇爾山及其海灣被恰如其分地稱為“西方奇跡”，于 1979 年被聯(lián)合國教科文組織列為世界遺產(chǎn)，島上的修道院是法國最受歡迎的景點(diǎn)之一，每年接待超過 300 萬游客。

地理位置及早期歷史

The island of Mont-Saint-Michel is situated 1 km (0.6 miles) off the northwestern coast of France and it is situated 66 km north of Rennes and 52 kilometres east of St. Malo. Mont-Saint-Michel covers an area of only 7 ha (17 acres) in area, and the island's circumference covers some 960 m (3,150 ft) while its tallest point is 92 m (302 ft) above sea level. Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island, meaning that it was once connected to the French mainland. The tides in and around Mont-Saint-Michel are among the most dramatic in Europe - they can vary by as much as 15 m (49 ft) depending on the time of year and prevailing weather conditions. In the Middle Ages, pilgrims had to cross 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) of water in order to reach the island, which is a full 5 kilometers farther out into the English Channel than it is today. The crossing itself could be a deadly enterprise as one had to wait until low tide, and only then could pilgrims traverse the mud to reach Mont-Saint-Michel. (In 1318 CE, 30 pilgrims died when trying to reach Mont-Saint-Michel, and in modern times, organized rescues of tourists and pilgrims remain alarmingly common.)

? ? ? ? ? ?圣米歇爾山島位于法國西北海岸1公里處，距雷恩以北66公里，距圣馬洛以東52公里。圣米歇爾山占地僅 7 公頃（17 英畝），島嶼周長約 960 m，最高點(diǎn)海拔 92 m（302 英尺）。圣米歇爾山是一個(gè)潮汐島，這意味著它曾經(jīng)與法國大陸相連。圣米歇爾山及其周邊地區(qū)的潮汐是歐洲最劇烈的潮汐之一，根據(jù)一年中的不同時(shí)間和當(dāng)時(shí)的天氣條件，潮汐的變化可高達(dá) 15 米（49 英尺）。在中世紀(jì)，朝圣者必須穿越 7 公里（4.3 英里）的水域才能到達(dá)該島，而該島距離英吉利海峽比現(xiàn)在足足遠(yuǎn)了 5 公里。渡海本身就是一項(xiàng)艱巨的任務(wù)，因?yàn)楸仨毜鹊酵顺?，朝圣者才能穿越泥濘到達(dá)圣米歇爾山。(公元 1318 年，有 30 名朝圣者在試圖抵達(dá)圣米歇爾山時(shí)喪生，而在現(xiàn)代，有組織地營救游客和朝圣者的事件仍然屢見不鮮，令人震驚）。

The early history of the island is shrouded in the mists of mystery, but it is known that the island was known as Mont Tombe (Latin: tumba). In the Middle Ages, the faithful believed that St. Aubert of Avranches (d. 720 CE) was the first to erect a Christian sanctuary on Mont Tombe and dedicate it to St. Michael the Archangel. Legend states that St. Aubert, who was then the bishop of Avranches, had a vision in which he saw the Archangel Michael. In his vision, the Archangel told him to oversee the construction of a small oratory on an island near the terminus of the Couesnon River. The Archangel continued to appear to St. Aubert until he promised to build the oratory. Other traditions attest that before St. Aubert, Irish or Welsh monks established a small hermitage on the island in or around the 6th century CE.

? ? ? ? ? 該島的早期歷史被蒙上了一層神秘的面紗，但人們知道該島被稱為“托姆貝山”（拉丁語：tumba）。在中世紀(jì)，信徒們相信圣奧貝爾·達(dá)夫朗什（St. Aubert d'Avranches，卒于公元 720 年）是第一個(gè)在托姆貝山建造基督教神殿并供奉大天使圣米迦勒的人。傳說當(dāng)時(shí)的阿夫朗什主教圣奧伯特在異象中看到了大天使米迦勒。在他的異象中，大天使告訴他在庫埃農(nóng)河口附近的一個(gè)島上監(jiān)督建造一座小教堂。大天使繼續(xù)出現(xiàn)在圣奧伯特，直到他答應(yīng)建造這座演講堂。其他傳統(tǒng)證明，在圣奧貝爾之前，愛爾蘭或威爾士的修道士于公元 6 世紀(jì)左右在島上建了一座小型修道院。

Historical evidence for Mont-Saint-Michel, however, is only apparent from the mid-9th century CE onwards. It is referred to in various hagiographical works as a place popular with pilgrims, and the account of its foundation lies in the "Revelatio ecclesiae sancti Michaelis." Mont-Saint-Michel's founding date - 708 CE - comes from chronicle written at Mont-Saint-Michel in the 1100s CE, and there is no good authority for its establishment by St. Aubert either. It is likely that Mont-Saint-Michel functioned primarily as a Breton monastery in the Early Middle Ages until roughly the 11th century CE when it came under the control of the Normans. Curiously, Mont-Saint-Michel only appears in Norman charters in 1009 CE. This again leads credence to the belief that there was an enduring and strong influence from the neighboring Duchy of Brittany exerted on the religious community at Mont-Saint Michel.

? ? ? ? ? 然而，關(guān)于圣米歇爾山的歷史證據(jù)僅見于公元 9 世紀(jì)中葉以后。在各種傳記作品中，圣米歇爾山都被稱為深受朝圣者喜愛的地方，而關(guān)于其建立的記載則見于“Revelatio ecclesiae sancti Michaelis”《圣米迦勒啟示錄》。圣米歇爾山的建立日期（公元 708 年）來自公元 1100 年代在圣米歇爾山所寫的編年史，也沒有正式證據(jù)證明它是由圣奧貝爾創(chuàng)建的。圣米歇爾山在中世紀(jì)早期可能主要作為布列塔尼修道院使用，直到大約公元 11 世紀(jì)被諾曼人控制。奇怪的是，圣米歇爾山直到公元 1009 年才出現(xiàn)在諾曼人的憲章中。這再次讓人相信，鄰近的布列塔尼公國對圣米歇爾山的宗教團(tuán)體產(chǎn)生了持久而強(qiáng)烈的影響。

Norman domination of Mont-Saint-Michel commenced in 966 CE when Lothair I of France (r. 954-986 CE) gave the orders for the issuing of a charter on Mont-Saint Michel, specifying Norman interests and dominance in the establishment of a Benedictine community on the island. The Benedictine monks, under the watchful eyes of Richard I (r. 942-996 CE), Duke of Normandy, managed their monastery well, stimulating Mont-Saint-Michel's growth as a major center of pilgrimage and also as a place of commerce. The Benedictine monks produced a large number of manuscripts and books on the island, which in turn gave Mont-Saint-Michel the adage "The City of Books." In the course of the 11th Century CE, Norman rulers (and after 1066 CE the kings of England) began to see Mont-Saint-Michel as a place of faith as well as a strategic fortress due to the increased rivalry with Capetian France. Mont-Saint-Michel received a military garrison, which was put at the disposal of both its abbot and the Norman and Plantagenet kings of England.

? ? ? ? ? 諾曼人對圣米歇爾山的統(tǒng)治始于公元 966 年，當(dāng)時(shí)法國的洛泰爾一世（Lothair I，公元 954-986 年）下令起草圣米歇爾山憲章，明確規(guī)定了諾曼人在島上建立本篤會社區(qū)的利益和主導(dǎo)地位。本篤會修道士在諾曼底公爵理查一世（R. 942-996（公元前 942-996 年））的監(jiān)督下，將修道院管理得井井有條，促進(jìn)了圣米歇爾山的發(fā)展，使其成為朝圣的主要中心和商業(yè)中心。本篤會的修道士們在島上出版了大量手稿和書籍，圣米歇爾山也因此被譽(yù)為“書籍之城”。公元 11 世紀(jì)，諾曼統(tǒng)治者（公元 1066 年后為英格蘭國王）開始將圣米歇爾山視為信仰之地和戰(zhàn)略要塞，因?yàn)榕c法國卡佩王朝的競爭日益激烈。圣米歇爾山有一個(gè)軍事要塞，供修道院院長以及英格蘭、諾曼和金雀花國王使用。

Mont-Saint-Michel's fame and fortunes grew steadily from the 11th-15th centuries CE, as the Normans established a Romanesque abbey church in the late 11th century and later expanded this church in the 12th century CE. Although Mont-Saint-Michel endured heavy damage as a result of a successful siege led by Philip II of France (r. 1180-1222 CE) in 1203 CE when he captured Normandy from England, his generous patronage of the mount facilitated the construction of a beautiful monastery known as "The Wonder" (French: "La Merveille.") This building is perhaps the most lovely on Mont-Saint-Michel for it is a veritable masterpiece of late Norman-Gothic engineering and art. (It consists of two buildings that are three stories high, a refectory, and an immense cloister.) King Louis IX (r. 1226-1270 CE) visited the Abbey and patronized it further with royal gifts and the order for the renovation of its defensive walls and other military structures.

? ? ? ? ? 從公元 11 世紀(jì)到 15 世紀(jì)，圣米歇爾山的聲譽(yù)和繁榮穩(wěn)步增長，諾曼人在11世紀(jì)末建立了一座羅馬式修道院教堂，后來在12世紀(jì)對其進(jìn)行了擴(kuò)建。公元 1203 年，法國腓力二世（Philip II，公元 1180-1222 年）從英格蘭手中奪取諾曼底時(shí)，成功地對圣米歇爾山進(jìn)行了圍攻，雖然圣米歇爾山遭受了嚴(yán)重破壞，但他對圣米歇爾山的慷慨贊助為建造一座美麗的修道院提供了便利，這座修道院被稱為“奇跡”（法語："La Merveille"）。(它由兩座三層樓高的建筑、一間餐廳和一個(gè)巨大的回廊組成）。國王路易九世（公元 1226-1270 年）曾訪問過這座修道院，向其捐贈了許多皇家禮物，并下令整修其防御墻和其他軍事用途。 ??

后期歷史

During the Hundred Years War (1337-1453 CE) between England and France, the English besieged and blockaded Mont-Saint-Michel three times. The French had built strong walls in the 13th century CE that would enable it to withstand a 30-year long siege by the English. The Abbey withstood the deprivations that came from the sieges, and Mont-Saint-Michel was the only part of western and northern France to avoid occupation by the English during the Hundred Years War. Following the Hundred Years War, the abbots at Mont-Saint-Michel became commendatory abbots in 1442 CE, whereby they held the Abbey "in commendam," drawing from Mont-Saint-Michel's resources and revenues but not holding authority over the Benedictine monks in terms of rules and regulations. Mont-Saint-Michel thus entered a period of relative decline, which continued over the course of the French Wars of Religion (1562-1598 CE). Gabriel, comte de Montgomery (1530-1574 CE) laid siege to Mont-Saint-Michel, but was defeated. The Abbey never fell under the control of the Huguenots and was thus spared the ravages of Protestant iconoclasm.

? ? ? ? ? 英法百年戰(zhàn)爭（公元 1337-1453 年）期間，英國人曾三次圍攻并封鎖圣米歇爾山。法國人在公元 13 世紀(jì)修建了堅(jiān)固的城墻，使其能夠抵御英國人長達(dá) 30 年的圍攻。修道院經(jīng)受住了圍困帶來的匱乏，在百年戰(zhàn)爭期間，圣米歇爾山是法國西部和北部唯一沒有被英國人占領(lǐng)的地區(qū)。百年戰(zhàn)爭后，圣米歇爾山修道院院長于公元 1442 年成為表彰性修道院院長，他們利用圣米歇爾山的資源和收入，“以表彰方式”管理修道院，但并非沒有權(quán)力在規(guī)章制度方面高于本篤會修道士。圣米歇爾山因此進(jìn)入了一個(gè)相對衰落的時(shí)期，并在法國宗教戰(zhàn)爭（1562-1598 年）期間持續(xù)衰落。蒙哥馬利伯爵加布里埃爾（Gabriel，Comte de Montgomery， 1530-1574 年）曾圍攻圣米歇爾山，但被擊敗。修道院從未落入胡格諾派的控制之下，因此免受了新教圣像崇拜的破壞。

Mont-Saint-Michel's fortunes became increasingly dire in the 18th century CE; there were only seven monks in residence when the Abbey was dissolved during the French Revolution (1789-1799 CE). Napoleon I (r. 1804-1815 CE) ordered that Mont-Saint Michel become a prison, and it remained so until the 1860s CE. Restoration work began in earnest in 1874 CE, and Catholic worship returned to the island in 1922 CE. The Abbey was returned to the Benedictine order in 1966 CE to mark 1,000 years since its establishment, and Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 CE. A new bridge replaced an old causeway to better suit the natural tidal flow and the Couesnon River.

? ? ? ? ? 圣米歇爾山的受歡迎程度在 18 世紀(jì)變得越來越災(zāi)難性。法國大革命期間（西元 1789-1799 年），修道院解散時(shí)只有七名修道士在此居住。拿破侖一世（公元 1804-1815 年）下令將圣米歇爾山改為監(jiān)獄，直至公元19世紀(jì)60 年代。公元 1874 年，修復(fù)工作正式開始，公元 1922 年，島上恢復(fù)了天主教禮拜。該修道院于公元 1966 年回歸本篤會，以紀(jì)念其成立 1000 周年，圣米歇爾山及其海灣于公元 1979 年成為聯(lián)合國教科文組織世界遺產(chǎn)。一座新橋取代了舊堤道，以更好地適應(yīng)潮汐和庫埃農(nóng)河的自然節(jié)奏。

修道院建筑

Mont-Saint-Michel's Abbey church encompasses an 11th-12th century CE Romanesque nave as well as a choir built in French Gothic style during the 15th and 16th centuries CE. A statue of St. Michael the Archangel sits atop the Abbey's spire some 91 m (300 ft) in the air, and the Abbey's church is situated on top of three crypts that date from either the Merovingian or Carolingian epochs. Thanks to the efforts of Philip II and Louis IX of France, Mont-Saint-Michel's defensive and exterior walls afford remarkable views of the southern and eastern sides of the mount. On the island of Mont-Saint-Michel are also the refectory, the luxurious cloister, and winding medieval streets.

? ? ? ? ? 圣米歇爾山修道院教堂擁有公元 11 世紀(jì)至 12 世紀(jì)的羅馬式中殿，以及 15 世紀(jì)和 16 世紀(jì)法國哥特式風(fēng)格的唱詩班。大天使圣米迦勒的雕像矗立在約 91 米（300 英尺）高的修道院尖塔頂端，修道院教堂位于三個(gè)可追溯到墨洛溫王朝或加洛林王朝的墓室上方。在法國腓力二世和路易九世的努力下，圣米歇爾山的防御工事和外墻讓人們可以欣賞到山的南面和東面的壯麗景色。圣米歇爾山島上還有餐廳、豪華回廊和蜿蜒曲折的中世紀(jì)街道。

參考書目：

Adams, Henry. Mont-Saint-Michel and Chartres. Penguin Classics, 1986.

HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT -- MONT-SAINT-MICHELAccessed 4 Oct 2018.

Mont-Saint-Michel -- Encyclopedia BritannicaAccessed 19 Mar 2020.

Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay -- UNESCOAccessed 19 Mar 2020.

Mont-Saint-Michel Official SiteAccessed 4 Oct 2018.

Olson, Lynette. St Samson of Dol and the Earliest History of Brittany, Cornwall and Wales. Boydell Press, 2017.

Potts, Cassandra. Monastic Revival and Regional Identity in Early Normandy. Boydell Press, 1997.

Simonnet, Nicolas. Mont-Saint-Michel. Bonechi, 2018.

原文作者：James Blake Wiener

原文網(wǎng)址: https://www.worldhistory.org/Mont-Saint-Michel/