The photos below are what we saw.
From a
distance, the scope of the obstacle presented by attacking MSM
becomes apparent. The lowest walls are high, but the upper
walls are much, much higher.
It was a
beefy walk to MSM from the parking area. The walk takes
you along a causeway that was constructed "recently" (given that
construction started in 750 A. D.
We were
concerned about the chill of the wind, but after we got to the
island, the issue was the heat. We are still more than a
mile away at this point.
Getting
closer, the details of the defenses become visible.
Even the
low walls are high and would be very difficult to overcome even
with scaling tools.
Inside
the walled city we started to see religious artifacts.
Over the
past 1,000 years, erosion has taken its toll on MSM's walls and
arches. Extensive restoration efforts have been underway
for years to stabilize the structures.
Imagine
arriving on a boat after crossing the shallow mud flats with the
intention of scaling the sea facing walls. The defenders
would be shooting at you through the portals and pouring hot oil
on your head. But mostly, they just wait for high tide to
carry you away.
MSM was
both a church and a monastery with the monks living in
isolation.
It would
be virtually impossible to scale these walls with the monks
shooting arrows at you from above.
The
battlements on the top of the turrets are visible in the photo
above.
Like all
good medieval structures, the rain gutters have gargoyles.
The
water spigot was retrofited with a brass faucet to come out the
mouth of a gargoyle
There
was a museum about mid-way to the upper reaches of MSM.
One of
the intermediate levels had an awesome view of the surrounding
ocean and mud flacts.
The
angel that sits atop the highest pinnacle on MSM was recently
repaired. It required a special helicopter to perform this
task as climbing up the tower was just too dangerous (the wooden
beams underneath had rotted).
The main
chapel had a very high ceiling.
Some of
the statuary was very intricate and impressive.
The
stained glass was impressive because of its scope, but less so
because of color.
The
detailed stone work in the interior arches were impressive.
The date of the organ was not given, but I have to assume that it is a recent addition (recent = last 200 years).
Some of
the stone carvings in the chapels were well preserved.
This
carving was very detailed and protected by glass.
This was
one of the very few that had color.
Only
half way up MSM, the upper tower loomed over us like the hand of
God.
This
section of MSM represented a later style of architecture as
evidenced by the narrow columns.
At an
even higher level, we encountered yet another chapel with
vaulted ceilings.
The
stained glass was interesting for scale, less so for detail or
color.
We are
still nowhere near the top of the structure.
This is
a human powered winch. A person gets inside the wheel and
starts walking like a hamster in a wheel. The wheel turns
and wraps the rope around the axle.
The rope
is hooked to a chain and the chain is used to hoist up a sled
with supplies.
The
scope of the wheel is more apparent in this shot.
The logs
at the bottom of the sled roll thus allowing for an easier
hoisting task. Around the French Revolution, MSM was
turned into a political prison and the sled was used to hoist
supplies to the prisoners.
The head
of this statue has broken off.
Yet
another chapel with excellent examples of the intricate stone
carving techniques that typified the era.
This
statue was cleaned and restored. This is a replica of the
statue on the top of the spire.
We came
down about half way on the north side of the island onto a
terrace. The height of the walls, more correctly half the
walls, can be judged from the people in the photo.
On the
terrace, we spotted a cannon with 1264 stamped into the breech.
The
upper spire at MSM.
On our
exit from MSM we spotted this monster cannon with a bore of
about 350mm.
A
parting shot of the angel on the top of MSM taken from the sun
side.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2013,
all rights reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.