Public lecture in French - outside the walls of the abbey of mont-saint-michel

As part of the abbey's cultural programme, the Centre des monuments nationaux and the Etablissement public du Mont-Saint-Michel are organising a series of public lectures in 2026 on the history and architecture of Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay.

As they have done every year since 2015, specialists will discuss well-known and little-known aspects of the site at these conferences, which will be held at Avranches town hall and at various other venues in the region throughout the year. Sponsored by the town of Avranches and local historical and heritage societies, these lectures are free and open to all, subject to availability.

The theme of the 2026 lecture series is "Mont-Saint-Michel, a garden by the sea". Through history, archaeology, literature and iconography, the speakers will explore various aspects of this theme.

In the Middle Ages, the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel owned property not only in England but also in the Channel Islands. Three small priories on Jersey and Guernsey were home to a number of monks and a prior who came from the Mont to manage these estates and collect the income that was sent to the abbey each year. Like all English property, these priories were confiscated in 1413 by King Henry V and their revenues allocated to King's College, Cambridge, and Eton College, Windsor. This talk will describe what is known about these possessions and will provide an opportunity to discover the surviving Montois buildings in the islands.

A member of numerous historical and archaeological societies in the islands, England and Normandy, John Mc Cormack is a monument of knowledge and modesty. Settling in Guernsey in 1961, he began by restoring old houses before compiling a truly scientific inventory of the ancient buildings of the Channel Islands. His 3 books on the churches and houses of the islands are the fruit of this formidable work.