
Tombelaine
Rocky islet and bird reserve crowned by ruins of a razed seventeenth-century fortress.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Tombelaine, the rocky islet facing Mont-Saint-Michel, follows the money: the seventeenth-century finance minister Nicolas Fouquet, who made this rock his own in the reign of Louis the Fourteenth. It also touches the smugglers from the coast and Jersey, and a twentieth-century tourism company with big plans for the island. Best heard with your eyes on the island's summit, where a stump of old wall still stands.
This audio guide was created using AI.
Similar places
Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey
Fortified Benedictine abbey crowning a tidal granite island, with Gothic halls and sweeping bay views.
Mont Saint-Michel
Tidal island crowned by a Gothic abbey, ramparts and a steep medieval village street.
Tour Gabriel
Round sixteenth-century cannon tower, later topped by a windmill and a tiny lighthouse.
Freedom Tower
Rampart gun tower renamed for liberty during the Revolution, with cannon ports and views over the bay.
Porte et logis du Roi
Fortified medieval gateway with drawbridge and iron portcullis, topped by the royal officer's lodging.
Chapelle du Saint-Aubert
Romanesque granite chapel on a tidal rock outcrop, tied to the legend of the abbey's founding bishop.