0:00:04 > 0:00:07This week, I've travelled to the island of Mont Saint-Michel
0:00:07 > 0:00:09on the Normandy coast of France.
0:00:09 > 0:00:10Welcome to Songs of Praise.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20I'll be following in the footsteps of millions of Christian pilgrims
0:00:20 > 0:00:24who've walked these sands for over 1,000 years.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Wow, Francois! It's just so commanding on the skyline.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30I mean, it reaches up to the sky and I guess the pilgrims would
0:00:30 > 0:00:33have really felt that after their long walk.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Josie d'Arby will be finding out about Mont Saint-Michel's
0:00:36 > 0:00:38sister monastery in Cornwall, St Michael's Mount.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41You're treading the route that many pilgrims have trodden.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42This is the West door
0:00:42 > 0:00:46and this is the way everyone would have approached in medieval times.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47And I'll be uncovering
0:00:47 > 0:00:50the origins of Mont Saint-Michel's amazing abbey.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Just one look at Mont Saint-Michel
0:01:19 > 0:01:21reveals why it's enchanted Christians
0:01:21 > 0:01:23since a chapel was first built here
0:01:23 > 0:01:25at the beginning of the eighth century.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Rising high above its vast bay, this World Heritage Site is known
0:01:30 > 0:01:34as the perfect image of paradise, a place where the Earth meets Heaven.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Mont Saint-Michel has drawn Christian pilgrims
0:01:40 > 0:01:42for over 1,000 years.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Faith is what brings them here and it's also what drives them
0:01:45 > 0:01:49to attempt the sometimes hazardous barefoot walk across to the island.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51While I get ready to join some modern day pilgrims,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54here's the first of our inspirational hymns from churches
0:01:54 > 0:01:58and cathedrals right across Britain, starting with Pershore Abbey.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Mont Saint-Michel is the most visited tourist attraction
0:05:17 > 0:05:19in France, outside Paris.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Nearly three million people flock to the island every year,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25with at least a third of that number making the climb through
0:05:25 > 0:05:27the narrow streets up to the abbey itself.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33For an increasing number of visitors, the journey to
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Mont Saint-Michel starts here, near the village of Genet
0:05:36 > 0:05:38on the other side of the bay
0:05:38 > 0:05:41because walking across the sand is the way many Christians
0:05:41 > 0:05:43choose to reach the island today.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46The bay at Mont Saint-Michel has one of the biggest
0:05:46 > 0:05:48and fastest tides in Europe.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51The dangers of crossing it are a matter of historical record
0:05:51 > 0:05:55and are depicted in this scene in the famous Bayeux Tapestry.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Francois Lamotte D'Argy is one of the guides who regularly
0:06:01 > 0:06:04leads Christian pilgrims over to the island.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08When the tide arrives, it can arrive really quick.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11As the bay is not really flat, sometimes, you can
0:06:11 > 0:06:14get caught on a kind of island.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18What about quicksand? I've heard there's quicksand around here.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22The quicksand can be a problem for people who have difficulties
0:06:22 > 0:06:25to walk or who are not used to it.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Indeed, it's a very strange sensation
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- when you have never done it before. - Yeah.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33We're walking, it seems like a long way away - how far is it
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and how long will it take us?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38It takes more or less three hours, 30, to hike there.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42And the distance is about six, seven kilometres.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44So four or five miles, I would say.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- So we've got plenty of work to do. - Yes, indeed.- Let's go for it.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00The first church on Mont Saint-Michel was built
0:07:00 > 0:07:03by the Bishop of the nearby town of Avranches
0:07:03 > 0:07:05in the early eighth century,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and this basilica is now home to his skull, which is a holy relic.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15So, St Aubert was the Bishop of Avranches and during three nights
0:07:15 > 0:07:20he had the same dream and, during these dreams, St Michael asked
0:07:20 > 0:07:24the Bishop to build a church on the top of this island
0:07:24 > 0:07:25just in front of Avranches.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31The dream was not exactly a dream because St Michael appeared in
0:07:31 > 0:07:36the room of the Bishop and decided to touch the head of the Bishop.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41That's why today we've got this hole on the right part of the skull.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44After these dreams,
0:07:44 > 0:07:49St Aubert decided to create a small sanctuary dedicated to St Michael.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53After the building of that first church,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56the Duke of Normandy, Richard I,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59decided to transform the church of St Aubert
0:07:59 > 0:08:03into an abbey with a monastic community.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08These monks, who arrived in the year 966,
0:08:08 > 0:08:14began to build a true church with stones, with bricks,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16and today it is the oldest part of the Mont Saint-Michel.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23Very quickly, Mont Saint-Michel became probably the best place
0:08:23 > 0:08:27for pilgrimage of the whole Europe.
0:08:31 > 0:08:32For the serving archpriest,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35the story of the divine origins of Mont Saint-Michel
0:08:35 > 0:08:37is a legacy to be cherished.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42- TRANSLATION:- Here in the basilique,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44a lot of people come because
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Avranches and St Aubert is on Mont Saint-Michel's road
0:08:47 > 0:08:49and people come to see the relic.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52It's like a first step in their pilgrimage.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03We're making good progress here
0:09:03 > 0:09:05and so far we've avoided the quicksand.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Time for a very appropriate hymn.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46We've just passed our halfway mark across the bay,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48a good time for me to find out
0:11:48 > 0:11:52how some of my fellow pilgrims are feeling about the experience.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54James, you've brought your family on this walk.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Why have you come on a pilgrimage?
0:11:56 > 0:12:01Well, the essence of any pilgrimage is for us to understand
0:12:01 > 0:12:03probably why we're here
0:12:03 > 0:12:07so this, for me, is probably something I've not done before
0:12:07 > 0:12:08so it's a good thing to do.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12It's going to contain very great spiritual significance.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14I think it's a great experience
0:12:14 > 0:12:19because I knew that Jesus walked on the water, you know,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22and as I was walking, I thought,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25"Wow, yeah, Jesus walked on the water, I'm walking with Jesus."
0:12:25 > 0:12:30You know, I was like reflecting and, you know, meditating.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32I was praying even as I was walking
0:12:32 > 0:12:36because it's all about praying, sacrifice, you know.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39So I'm so excited and very happy.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48After a Benedictine order moved into Mont Saint-Michel in 966,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51the abbey began to attract pilgrims.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54But when an Augustinian friar, Martin Luther,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58initiated the Reformation in 1517, his aversion to pilgrimages
0:12:58 > 0:13:02meant they began to be frowned upon by many Protestants.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Today, however, many Christians from different denominations are
0:13:06 > 0:13:09returning to the idea of pilgrimage as a way of exploring their faith.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Francois, what does this walk mean to you?
0:13:15 > 0:13:16I'm a happy man, actually,
0:13:16 > 0:13:21because I live in an environment that I literally adore.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25- It's lovely.- I'm someone who is really sensitive to the things
0:13:25 > 0:13:28of nature and I'm also a Christian,
0:13:28 > 0:13:34so leading all these people is much more than only a physical move -
0:13:34 > 0:13:36it's a permanent conversion, actually.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40I feel like this is sort of reminiscent of a biblical scene.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Yes, indeed. You can do a clear analogy between this portion
0:13:44 > 0:13:49of the ancient Testament where Moses crosses the sea,
0:13:49 > 0:13:55and this place, where you also have biblical elements, like the rock,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59the sand that characterises the multitude,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02the winds, the holy spirit.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07Just enjoying the creation - that makes you close to God, I think.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09We just need that sea to part now, don't we?
0:14:09 > 0:14:12- Yeah. That's not in my power! - LAUGHTER
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Across the English Channel, just off the coast of Cornwall,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27lies another rocky outcrop with a stunning building on it.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29It looks remarkably like Mont Saint-Michel
0:16:29 > 0:16:32and is also surrounded by the sea at high tide.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Josie d'Arby has been finding out more.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45The priory is the focal point of St Michael's Mount,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49which is some 30 miles east of Land's End in Cornwall.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53And until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the late 1530s,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56it was home to a Benedictine order.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57Historically, this is the way
0:16:57 > 0:17:01that the monks would have had to travel - by boat - and I have to say
0:17:01 > 0:17:03it's quite a way to take in
0:17:03 > 0:17:07that spectacular view and the fresh Cornish sea air.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14It's now a castle and belongs to Lord James St Levan and his family.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- James, how lovely to meet you. - And you, Josie.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Beautiful home you've got, I must say.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23- Well, it is absolutely lovely. Come and have a look.- I'd love to.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30James, why are these known as The Pilgrims' Steps?
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Well, they were rediscovered in the 1950s.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36At the time, my grandfather called them The Pilgrims' Steps partly
0:17:36 > 0:17:38because they were almost certainly used by the pilgrims
0:17:38 > 0:17:40who came in Medieval times.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41But it's also where our visitors come now,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44and also pilgrimages, which we still have today.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48In the Middle Ages,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51the main highway through Cornwall ran close to St Michael's Mount
0:17:51 > 0:17:55and pilgrims would come in the hope their prayers would be answered.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02In the 12th century, ownership was given by Britain's Norman rulers
0:18:02 > 0:18:05to the then Abbot of Mont Saint-Michel, Bernard du Bec,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09who used it as a training ground for young monks.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12So is it true that Saint-Michel used to send monks to St Michael's
0:18:12 > 0:18:15as some way of testing their mettle, a bit of a boot camp for them
0:18:15 > 0:18:18because life here was so much more difficult?
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Well, it certainly would have been a rugged place to live
0:18:20 > 0:18:23in Medieval times and, yeah, I believe they did send
0:18:23 > 0:18:26the young monks to see if they could survive five years in Cornwall.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29And it's very busy. Is it always this busy year-round?
0:18:29 > 0:18:32- Why do people come here?- People have come here all its history.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36I mean, I think even back in the Bronze Age we've got evidence
0:18:36 > 0:18:39there was a marketplace here that people would sail to.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So which bit of the castle is this bit that we're looking at now
0:18:46 > 0:18:47that we're heading toward?
0:18:47 > 0:18:49You're treading the route that many pilgrims have trodden.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51This is the West door
0:18:51 > 0:18:54and this is the way everyone would have approached in Medieval times.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Is there anything left of the original priory?
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Well, the church is still very much the heart of the place.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02- We have a chaplain for the island. - Mm-hmm.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04And we hold services every Sunday
0:19:04 > 0:19:07from the end of May until the end of September
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and at Christmas and Easter and, of course, on St Michael's Day.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Normally I read the lesson and I take the collection.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18It's a beautiful church. How much of this building is original?
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Well, there's a room underneath the pews there which is part of
0:19:21 > 0:19:25the original and possibly the tower is still the original Norman tower,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27but most of the rest of the church was rebuilt towards
0:19:27 > 0:19:28the end of the 14th century.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Even though it's not used as a monastery any more,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34it still has a very spiritual sense about it.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38It does and it draws people of all different creeds
0:19:38 > 0:19:40and it has a very broad appeal.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Does it hold that significance for you?
0:19:43 > 0:19:45I don't think you could live on this island without feeling it was
0:19:45 > 0:19:48a special, spiritual place.
0:19:48 > 0:19:49And there are moments
0:19:49 > 0:19:52when I have a sense of St Michael watching over us.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11- Well, we finally made it. How did you find that?- Oh, it was great.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14Best way to arrive here, walk like the pilgrims used to.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16It's really uplifting. It was lovely.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Well, it was lovely to meet you. I'll let you finish.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21- I'm off to the abbey. - Thank you.- Thank you.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Well, I've finally arrived at the famous abbey at Mont Saint-Michel
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and I'm getting a real sense of what it's been like
0:22:39 > 0:22:42for pilgrims over the past 13 centuries.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45After the long journey, you arrive at this vast building.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48It's breathtaking and it's humbling.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00To tell me more about the history of this special place, I've arranged
0:23:00 > 0:23:04to meet Valerie Coupel, who's been a tour guide here for over 16 years.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10- Ah, so that's Saint Michael and Saint Aubert.- Exactly, yes.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13This sculpture represents the revelation,
0:23:13 > 0:23:18the apparition of Michael to Aubert in 709.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20And what's happened to Saint Michael's face?
0:23:20 > 0:23:22His face was chopped off at the French Revolution.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Whoa, brutal. Gosh.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33At the French Revolution, the monks had to go away,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36and for 200 years, almost 200 years,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40there was no order here, no religion.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44So only in 1966 did the Benedictine come back.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50And pilgrims came here because it was a seat of learning.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55Yes. Mont Saint-Michel has been one of the most important intellectual
0:23:55 > 0:24:00and theological centres in Europe for centuries,
0:24:00 > 0:24:07and here we are standing in the main room of this intellectual centre.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09This is the scriptorium.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Literally, it means the room where you write.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16So the monks of Mont Saint-Michel were very good copyists.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21They copied manuscripts, mainly Bibles, songs, the evangels,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and they did a lot of exchanges with other abbeys
0:24:24 > 0:24:27and other theological centres in Europe.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Well, you've worked here many years in...
0:24:30 > 0:24:32well, this place of God, this place of worship.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Has that affected your faith and the way you see God?
0:24:36 > 0:24:38I would say yes. Yes.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42And in some way, I was born and raised as a Christian
0:24:42 > 0:24:44and for that reason, I think,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I chose this job because it is a job
0:24:47 > 0:24:52where I can be inspired by all these churches, abbeys and cathedrals.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54They inspired me, they inspire my faith.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And now a hymn which captures the long, spiritual history
0:25:02 > 0:25:06of this extraordinary place, Angel Voices Ever Singing.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56# Swing low, sweet chariot... #
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Now, I've got some great news for all you gospel fans out there.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03We're looking for the finest amateur choirs in the UK to take part
0:27:03 > 0:27:07in the 2017 Gospel Choir of the Year competition.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09# Swing low, sweet chariot... #
0:27:09 > 0:27:13For the finalists, this will be an opportunity of a lifetime.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16To find out how to enter, go to the Songs Of Praise website,
0:27:16 > 0:27:20where you'll find details and the all-important terms and conditions.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25The closing date is Friday the 18th August.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27We look forward to receiving your entries.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29And to get you inspired, here's a great gospel song.
0:29:20 > 0:29:21# When Jesus washed
0:29:23 > 0:29:25# He washed my sins away
0:29:42 > 0:29:45# Watch and pray Watch and pray, my Lord
0:29:46 > 0:29:48# And he taught me how to live... #
0:30:45 > 0:30:49Well, I hope you've enjoyed our visits to France and to Cornwall.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Next week, rock star Mike Peters from The Alarm talks to Aled Jones
0:30:52 > 0:30:56about his faith and performs his song Walk Forever By My Side...
0:30:59 > 0:31:02..and the Reverend Kate Bottley meets a hospital chaplain who has
0:31:02 > 0:31:06a wonderful way of communicating with patients who have dementia.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08HE SINGS
0:31:08 > 0:31:11We'll leave you with a hymn that reflects our pilgrimage here
0:31:11 > 0:31:13to Mont Saint-Michel -
0:31:13 > 0:31:14Thy Hand, O God, Has Guided.