Mont St. Michel (Civ6)/Civilopedia

Perched on a rocky islet between Normandy and Brittany in the midst of sandbanks washed over by ocean tides, Mont St. Michel is a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the archangel Micheal built between the 11th and 16th centuries. Besides St. Aubert's skull, the Mont also was repository for bits of St. Petroc and St. Olaf and other holy relics. The place did have a practical purpose; its high walls, turrets and position made it of strategic worth … and many a French king stationed a small garrison (all that was needed) there. At low tide, it was readily accessible to pilgrims eager to give up a coin or two to be blessed; at high tide, the incoming sea would strand or drown any attacking force. The Mont would remain unconquered throughout the Hundred Years' War and beyond. Its position also made it ideal to incarcerate unrepentant traitors and other sinners; Louis XI turned the Mont into a prison, a role it served through the rest of the Ancien Régime. Now, it's still an abbey hosting a religious community, as well as a highly touristic visited place.