Mounting Optimism

An apparition of the Archangel St Michael is said to have been witnessed by fisherman in 495 & by the 6th century it is thought that the Mount was a thriving religious centre. After the Norman Conquest, the abbey was granted to the Benedictine monks of Mont St Michel in France. The church on the island’s summit was built by the French Abbot, Bernard le Bec, and through the Middle Ages the Mount became a major pilgrimage destination. Four miracles, said to have happened here between 1262 and 1263 would have only added to its religious magnetism. The mount was later seized by Henry Eighth and turned into a royal owned fortress, with it's own garison. The bay was the landing site for the Spanish Armada. From here the first of many beacons were lit to notify mainland England and Sir Francis Drake. The castle and house are now owned by wealthy banker, Lord St Levan.

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Image Size: 1301x867 / 1.1MB; www.glyndavies.com www.glynsblog.com www.landscapefigures.com; British Isles Britain UK Great Britain Cornwall Penwith Marazion Mount's Bay Penzance Lord Levan St Michael St Michael's Mount sunburst castle monastry fortification Norman church Royalty Henry Eighth sea coast coastline West Cornwall island tide tidal low tide overcast
Contained in galleries: Cornwall

An apparition of the Archangel St Michael is said to have been witnessed by fisherman in 495 & by the 6th century it is thought that the Mount was a thriving religious centre. After the Norman Conquest, the abbey was granted to the Benedictine monks of Mont St Michel in France. The church on the island’s summit was built by the French Abbot, Bernard le Bec, and through the Middle Ages the Mount became a major pilgrimage destination. Four miracles, said to have happened here between 1262 and 1263 would have only added to its religious magnetism. The mount was later seized by Henry Eighth and turned into a royal owned fortress, with it's own garison. The bay was the landing site for the Spanish Armada. From here the first of many beacons were lit to notify mainland England and Sir Francis Drake. The castle and house are now owned by wealthy banker, Lord St Levan.