Le Mont-Saint-Michel

Résumé : Rare are the chateaux that have been reduced to nothing and brought back to life with the wave of a magic wand. Such, however, is the story of Pierrefonds, in the Oise region, which was born twice. Equipped with the latest advances in military technology, the original chateau (c. 1400) was also an elegant palace, the residence of the man who had it built : the powerful Louis d'Orléans, duke of Valois and brother of Charles VI, the mad king. Constructed during a respite in the Hundred Years War, the redoubtable fortress came through the civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians pretty well. It was a different matter altogether during the follies of the Wars of Religion and the ravages of the Leaguers. Infuriated, Cardinal Richelieu laid siege to Pierrefonds, demolishing the citadel so that it could no longer be put to military use. For two-anda-half centuries, the majestic ruins languished in obscurity. Helped on by Romanticism and the growing awareness of cultural heritage, Napoleon III, the writer Prosper Mérimée, and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc - an out-standing architect - all agreed that Pierrefonds must not be left to perish. The forlorn stones were given a new lease on life : the exteriors were rebuilt almost exactly as they were, but the interiors very much bear the mark of Viollet-le-Duc. After works lasting a quarter of a century, the chateau became a museum of military architecture and not an imperial residence. The early existence of the chateau is largely unknown, as are its tribulations and destruction. The restoration of Pierrefonds was an undertaking whose scope, materials, innovations, and decorative daring were barely imaginable. This book recounts the double saga of this historical monument, which is certainly worth a pilgrimage. It is also one of the most spectacular of Viollet-le-Duc's countless "salvage operations" and building projects.

Le Mont-Saint-Michel se dresse au milieu d'une baie ouverte sur la Manche envahie par les marées les plus puissantes d'Europe. Ce joyau du Moyen Age, constitué d'un vaste ensemble monastique surplombant un village ceint de remparts, fut, tout comme Rome et Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, l'un des plus importants lieux de pèlerinage de l'Occident médiéval. Plus de mille ans après l'émergence de ce foyer spirituel, la vocation religieuse de l'abbaye demeure, comme l'attestent la présence de Frères et Sours des Fraternités monastiques de Jérusalem et la pérennité des pèlerinages. L'auteur convie à la découverte de l'histoire et de l'architecture du Mont-Saint-Michel, sans négliger le problème de l'ensablement du Mont dont la résolution sera un réel défi pour les générations futures. Gérard Dalmaz, journaliste et historien, est directeur du service de culture de France 2. Il est membre de l'AJP (Association des journalistes du patrimoine). Version anglaise