Francia SacraA journey of faith
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VIII

Via Archangeli The Archangel’s Way

Quis ut Deus?The name of Michael

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Length
Six days
Group
13 pilgrims at most
Walking
Moderate
Season
April to October
Status
First departures in 2027

The grace we ask on this way

Strength in the spiritual combat, under the protection of Saint Michael.

  1. Saint-Wandrille
  2. Le Bec-Hellouin
  3. Coutances
  4. Avranches
  5. Mont-Saint-Michel

Scripture shows the angels at work, messengers of God and guardians of men, with Saint Michael at their head, defending souls in the spiritual battle.

In the Middle Ages, the miquelots came from all over Europe along the roads to the Mount. You will walk the last miles barefoot on the sand of the bay, with a guide. At Avranches, the basilica of Saint-Gervais keeps the skull of Saint Aubert, the bishop whom the archangel, as tradition holds, asked to build him a sanctuary in 708; the nearby Scriptorial displays the illuminated manuscripts of the monks of the Mount.

The sanctuary rises in levels as you climb the Mount. If access is granted, you will first go down into the crypt of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre, the oldest surviving church on the rock, before reaching the abbey church, whose spire carries the golden statue of the archangel. You will pray the Office in the abbey church and stay the night on the Mount, which is quiet once the day visitors leave.

Along the way, you will join the Benedictines of Saint-Wandrille and Le Bec-Hellouin for the Office, and pray in the cathedral of Coutances. Each day, your priest introduces you to one of the angels of Scripture, among them Gabriel, messenger of the Annunciation, Raphael, the traveling companion, and the guardian angel who goes with every pilgrim.

Daily prayer

Scripture shows angels sent to guard and guide us and to fight beside us. Over six days you travel to the Mount, ending with Saint Michael, whose name means “Who is like God?”

This landThe archangel chose a rock in the sea off Normandy, and pilgrims from all of Europe have crossed the sands to it since the eighth century.

Each day

The priest opens a page of Scripture where an angel appears. The last miles are walked barefoot, and the evening on the Mount is kept in silence.

The rites of this way

  • The Angelus prayed each day at noon
  • The crossing of the bay on foot, in prayer
  • A night on the Mount, after the day visitors leave
  • The prayer to Saint Michael at the last Mass

Before you leave

Read the Book of Tobit, the story of the archangel Raphael, and the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation.

The fruit of the way

A friendship with your guardian angel, and strength for the spiritual combat.

Who it is forFamilies with children and young people.

Day by day

Six days on the pilgrims’ roads to the Mount. The crossing of the bay follows the tides.

  1. Day I

    AngeliThe angels who praise

    Paris to Saint-Wandrille

    The train to Rouen, then the valley of the Seine to the abbey of Saint-Wandrille

    Vespers with the monks of Saint-Wandrille

    Night in the Seine valley
  2. Day II

    GabrielThe messenger

    Saint-Wandrille to Le Bec-Hellouin

    The abbey of Saint Anselm, and Gabriel, angel of the Annunciation

    The Angelus at noon, then the Office with the monks of Le Bec-Hellouin

    Night in Normandy
  3. Day III

    RaphaelThe companion of the road

    Le Bec-Hellouin to Coutances

    West through the hedged country to the cathedral of Coutances and its lantern tower

    Prayer for travelers and for the sick in the cathedral of Coutances

    Night in Coutances
  4. Day IV

    CustosThe guardian angel

    Coutances to Avranches

    The skull of Saint Aubert at Saint-Gervais, the manuscripts of the Scriptorial, and the bay seen from above

    Mass at Saint-Gervais, then prayer before the relic of Saint Aubert in its treasury

    Night by the bay
  5. Day V

    MichaelThe combat

    Avranches to Mont-Saint-Michel, across the bay

    The last miles on foot, barefoot on the sand with the guide; Notre-Dame-sous-Terre and the abbey

    The bay crossed in prayer, then Vespers in the abbey church

    Night on the Mount
  6. Day VI

    Quis ut DeusWho is like God?

    Mont-Saint-Michel to Paris

    The Mount at dawn, then the high-speed train from Rennes to Paris, or, on some trains, directly to Charles de Gaulle airport

    Morning Mass on the Mount, and the prayer to Saint Michael

    Last day

Masses, private openings and some visits are requested for each group and remain subject to the consent of rectors, curators and communities.

First departures in 2027. Tell us the season you prefer, and we will propose departure dates once reservations open.

The holy places of this way: Saint-Wandrille, Le Bec-Hellouin, Coutances, Avranches, Mont-Saint-Michel.

Further reading: Mont-Saint-Michel: A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Archangel’s Mount; Gregorian Chant in France: Monasteries Open to Pilgrims.

The saints of this way: Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Aubert, Saint Anselm.

Sources

  1. Mont-Saint-Michel Tourist Office, Avranches, its treasure and the Scriptorial
  2. Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent), Mont-Saint-Michel
  3. CNRS News, Mont-Saint-Michel reveals new secrets (Notre-Dame-sous-Terre)
  4. Ministère de la Culture, Les pratiques d’itinérance et de pérégrination au Mont-Saint-Michel (PDF)
  5. Abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec, Histoire de l’abbaye Notre-Dame du Bec (PDF)
  6. Wikipedia, Abbey of Saint Wandrille

This way can also be made at a gentle pace, with two or three days in Paris before or after.

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