The Cloister
The Cloister is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Mont-Saint-Michel audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~45 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type garden
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Mont-Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel guide
About The Cloister
The abbey's cloister, a serene hanging garden near the summit where staggered double rows of slender columns frame a green courtyard open between sky and sea.
The cloister crowns the top level of La Merveille, set between the abbey church and the refectory and built at the close of the great building campaign, around 1225 to 1228. Perched near the summit with the bay far below, it is a hanging garden 'between sky and sea', a sheltered courtyard where the monks could walk, read, meditate and process in the open air without leaving the monastery.
Its galleries are formed of slender colonnettes of granite and stone, set in staggered double rows so the arches ripple in a syncopated rhythm around a central garden open to the sky, the spandrels above them richly carved. The columns are commonly said to number around a hundred and thirty-seven, though counts vary and nineteenth- and twentieth-century restoration altered the fabric. One gallery opens toward the sea, and a doorway was meant for a chapter house that was never built. The cloister forms part of the site inscribed by UNESCO in 1979.
Did you know? The cloister is famous for its columns set in staggered double rows, a rippling design often traced to English Gothic; guidebooks put the count near a hundred and thirty-seven, though the true number is disputed.
How long should you spend at The Cloister?
Plan about ~45 min at The Cloister. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is The Cloister worth visiting?
The Cloister is one of the 11 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Mont-Saint-Michel, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Mont-Saint-Michel
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Hear the story of The Cloister
Preview the Mont-Saint-Michel tour free in the Gingerguide app.