In 1874, the Mont Saint Michel was classed as a historic monument by the State, which was the first step towards the renovation of the Marvel of the West.
In 1888, the famous
set up her inn in the heart of the old medieval city, thus beginning the Mont Saint Michel's fame for cooking and the arts of the table which was to spread throughout the world.
In 1897, the architect Petitgrand, a follower of Viollet-le-Duc, created the final silhouette of Mont Saint Michel by erecting a bronze neo-Gothic spire for the Abbey's summit. The famous golden statue of the Archangel Saint Michael, created by the sculptor Fremiet, completes the edifice, now reaching to 188 metres above the foundations.
By the end of the XIXth Century, the Mont Saint Michel was linked to the land by a road in the form of a dyke: now more easily accessible, it was open to tourism. In the years that followed, it became the most important single cultural site for visitors in the whole of France.
In 1969, a community of Benedictine monks
entered the Abbey, thus reviving the place of faith in the
Marvel of the West.
In 1972, UNESCO classified the Mont Saint Michel as a masterpiece
of the world heritage.
Nowadays, almost three and a half million visitors
a year come to enjoy this matchless spiritual, cultural
and tourist site.