Mont-Saint-Michel Coloring Pages

An Abbey Floating on the Sea

Mont-Saint-Michel is a tiny island floating in Saint-Malo Bay in the western sea of France.
The whole island is made of an abbey built on a rocky mountain, and a town at its foot.
It was chosen as a World Heritage site in 1979 as "Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay."
The first coloring page shows the whole island across the sea.

It Started with an Angel's Message

Long ago, in 708, an angel named Michael appeared in the dream of Aubert, a bishop from a nearby town. He told him, "Build a church on this rocky mountain."
After that, a small chapel was built, and over many long years, it grew into the big abbey we see today.
The name "Mont-Saint-Michel" means "Mount of Saint Michael."

A Golden Angel on the Top Spire

From the middle of the abbey, a thin, pointed spire reaches straight up into the sky.
At the very top stands a golden statue of Michael holding a sword and scales.
Look closely at the tip of the spire on the second coloring page!

Stone Buildings Stacked High

The second picture shows the abbey looked at from up close, along with the town at its foot.
You can see how the stone buildings of the abbey are stacked up in many layers along the shape of the rocky mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, there are castle walls to protect the town, round watchtowers, and houses with pointy triangular roofs.
Even today, souvenir shops and restaurants line both sides of the narrow sloping street.

Big Changes in the Tides

The sea around Mont-Saint-Michel has some of the biggest tides in all of Europe.
The ocean height can change by more than 15 meters between high tide and low tide!
In the past, high tide turned it into an island floating on the sea, and low tide let people walk across.
Now, you can visit the island by crossing a bridge built in 2014.

Called the "Wonder of the West"

The rocky mountain and abbey standing together as one over the sea is a truly amazing and wonderful sight.
Because of this, Mont-Saint-Michel is also called the "Wonder of the West."

Stone buildings in gray and brown

The abbey and the houses at the bottom are made of gray and light brown stone.
If you change the shade a little bit for each building, they will look like real stacked stones.
We recommend dark gray or bluish gray for the roofs.

The tip of the spire in gold

The statue of Saint Michael at the top of the spire shines in gold.
Color it small with yellow and orange to make it stand out!

The rocky mountain and trees in green and brown

Trees and grass grow on the rocky mountain under the abbey.
Try coloring the rocks brown, the trees dark green, and the grass yellow-green.

The sky, the sea, and the mudflats

For the first picture, try coloring the sky light blue and the sea blue.
If you color the mudflats around Mont-Saint-Michel in light beige or gray, it will look like the tide went out.
If you want an evening sky, color the sky in orange and pink, and make Mont-Saint-Michel a dark color. It will make a beautiful silhouette!

The houses at the bottom, one by one

For the second picture, color the walls of the houses at the bottom in beige or light yellow, and the roofs in gray.
If you leave the window frames white, you can clearly see the houses lined up.
It is also fun to change the wall color just a little for each house.
For the round guard tower, color it stone gray and add a dark color just at the tip of the roof to make it look sharp.
The castle wall is long, so tilt your colored pencil and color it smoothly to make it look pretty.

The Abbey Became a Prison

After the French Revolution, the abbey was not used anymore. Until 1863, it was used as a national prison.
It was hard to escape from because it was surrounded by the sea.
Later, it became an abbey again, and people began to take great care of it.

The Bishop Touched by an Angel

It is said that Aubert did not believe the dream at first when he got the message.
In his third dream, Michael touched his forehead with a finger. When Aubert woke up in the morning, he had a hole in his head! That was when he finally decided to build the church.
What a mysterious story!

The Famous Fluffy Omelet

The shop at the entrance of the island is famous for its fluffy omelet.
People say it was first made long ago for travelers visiting Mont-Saint-Michel.

The Tide Comes in Very Fast

Around Mont-Saint-Michel, seawater rushes in very quickly when the tide comes in.
Long ago, travelers walking across the mudflats were sometimes swallowed by the rising tide.
Now, there is a bridge so you can travel safely to the island.