On an isolated tidal rock in the Gulf of Saint-Malo on the Normandy coast of France sits one of the world's wonders, the Mont St. Michel. Reached by a causeway, the lower towers and medieval sea wall protect a small village, capped magnificently by the abbey dedicated to the Archangel Michael. An Abbey on Mont was first mentioned in a 9th-century text. This sacred place had always been a draw for religious devotees and hermits.