Mont Saint Michel, the first French site on the list of international natural and cultural heritage sites, is perched on a rocky islet. It roughly one kilometer from the north coast of France at the mouth of the Couesnon River, near Avranches in Normandy, close to the border of Brittany.

A Gothic-style Benedictine abbey was dedicated to the archangel St Michael and the village that grew up in the shadow of its great walls. Built between the 11th and 16th centuries, the abbey is a technical and artistic tour de force, having had to adapt to the problems posed by this unique natural site.