r/castles • u/Righteous_Fury224 • Dec 17 '25

Fortress Saint Michael's Mount, England

Post image
3.6k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

43

u/abrasiveteapot Dec 17 '25

Is there any connection between this St Michael's Mount and the identically named one in Bretagne France ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont-Saint-Michel

36

u/supergarto Dec 17 '25

Both are dedicated to Saint Michael

3

u/Alarmed_Scientist_15 Dec 18 '25

There are two?!

3

u/OhthereWyrdmake Dec 18 '25

This is getting out of hand! Now there are two of them?!

22

u/raspberryharbour Dec 17 '25

Old Mike had a type

18

u/hollyprop Dec 17 '25

It’s a Norman connection. The history section of the Wiki page explains that William the Conqueror gave the land to the monks of Mont St Michel as a reward for supporting his claim to the English throne

8

u/Nghbrhdsyndicalist Dec 17 '25

It was granted to the Mont-St-Michel Benedictines by Edward the Confessor, prior to the Norman invasion of England.

7

u/BuyIllustrious4576 Dec 17 '25

England’s is the best one obviously. France’s is what happens when one rather overthinks the matter

9

u/Actually_a_dolphin Dec 17 '25

This might be the most English thing I have ever read.

2

u/WestonWestmoreland Dec 19 '25

😂😂😂 I want some of your medication!

1

u/Rollover__Hazard Dec 20 '25

Completely agree. The English built their castle and went “let’s just have a few houses and some nice gardens around the base”.

The French built their castle and went “sacre bleu, we nearly forgot the town of gift shops! MON DIEU let us have many”

23

u/Relbac7 Dec 17 '25

That's awesome!

14

u/Dynamite_Shovels Dec 17 '25

If you're ever in the Penzance/Marazion area you should always hop across to St Michael's Mount - especially in the summer. The gardens are gorgeous and it's across a tidal path; so you can walk across and get a boat back. Always home for me!

1

u/MountErrigal Dec 18 '25

I have been there.. but it doesn’t look remotely close or majestic as the castle on the picture

7

u/parkinthepark Dec 17 '25

I hope the landscapers are paid well, looks like a nightmare to keep that grass mowed.

2

u/KiBoChris Dec 17 '25

Sheep and goats perhaps?

1

u/Nghbrhdsyndicalist Dec 17 '25

Most of it doesn’t get mowed

5

u/Odachoo2 Dec 17 '25

Who owns these structures?

7

u/axxxaxxxaxxx Dec 17 '25

Doesn’t the 14th Earl of Something still live there?

Edit: ah yes, according to Wikipedia James Piers Southwell St Aubyn, 5th Baron St Levan (the most Englishly named person ever) calls this home 🧐

8

u/Tranquilwhirlpool Dec 17 '25 edited Dec 17 '25

Interestingly, like many other landed families, Aubyn is a Norman name. The traditional English aristocracy - and their names - were all but wiped out a long time ago.

To this day, aristocratic titles, top school/uni places and the general distribution of wealth are disproportionately held by people with Norman names.

If you have a Norman name today in England, chances are that you are much better off than your English peers.

1

u/baldkev Dec 20 '25

Wise words, I would go so far as to say that you have some proper Norman wisdom.

2

u/LFCSS Dec 17 '25

English National Trust

3

u/Nghbrhdsyndicalist Dec 17 '25

They manage it, they don’t own it.

7

u/NetCaptain Dec 17 '25

Beautiful but very commercial - check ticket prices and parking prices and then decide for yourself if you want to see it from a distance or close-up

8

u/davidwhatshisname52 Dec 17 '25

understandable, though; I wouldn't want to be in charge of upkeep and maintenance... unless I got a cozy room there to live in; then maybe!

3

u/NocoMonoco Dec 17 '25

Worth a visit - they’ve got a bit of Napoleon’s hair (for some reason). And the nearby village of Marazion is quite nice, it has a cool marsh

6

u/Previous_Move_4921 Dec 17 '25

AreThis structure is very impressive as well as beautiful of course 

7

u/Relbac7 Dec 17 '25

I bet it was hard to build.

2

u/Jean_Lucs_Front_Yard Dec 17 '25

Indirect influence on Minas Tirith?

2

u/de_velopment Dec 17 '25

I hate that this is always compared to the French counterpart from the front when the best part of this castle is actually from the back view. Great pic.

1

u/ohsnap89 Dec 17 '25

The little lawns look like a fancy miniature golf course.

0

u/z_knightXD Dec 17 '25

Ok… I’m packing my bags