coast of Normandy, France. There
it has stood, in the tidal plain of La
Manche – the French name for the
English Channel – since ancient times.
Successive dynasties have added
to the structure since the island was
first built upon as a monastery in the
eighth century, arguably by Clovis I, of
Neustria. Over the years, it has served
as citadel to successive dynasties:
Gauls, Romans, Franks, Vikings,
Normans, English, French… By the
time the French Revolution rolled
around, few people were interested in
the abbey as a place of pilgrimage, and
so it was converted into a place to hold
political prisoners. The prison was
closed in 1863 and became an historic
monument at the urging of high-profile
advocates such as Victor Hugo.
Today, 150 years later, it is being
invaded yet again, this time by the
tourist hordes and aficionados of
Romanesque architecture. Each year,
three million visitors snake their way
along tiny passages and past prison
gates and crypts. The grand tourist
attraction comes complete with French
fast food, cheesy mini-museums, and
even a St. Michel Shop, where you can
buy “the original and best” fisherman-
stripe shirts, sweaters and cardigans
(and many other variations on the
theme).
It’s an eight-hour bus ride from
Paris, with a stop for lunch in a quaint
Normandy town. Summertime may
not be the best time to go, if you wish
to avoid crowds. Would I go to see it
again? Yes, it is remarkable once you
look past the trinket-shops and rubbish
bins. Would I go by tour bus again? No.
Bearing witness to evil
On 10 June, 1944, a massacre
occurred in Oradour-sur-Glane, a
small town in the province of Limoges,
when a German SS Division came
looking for an allegedly captured
fellow SS officer. Half the population
of the town was subsequently
murdered: 190 men were led away and
executed, 452 women and children
were locked in the town’s church and
burned alive. Then the whole town
was looted and torched. There were
no hidden arms or captured German
officers here; the SS Unit had actually
been looking for a nearby village
called Oradour-sur-Vayres.
Today, these ruins stand as a
stark and effective memorial, while
the modern town and a memorial
museum have been built across the
January 2015
65
