This Month in History - Birth of Cecil DeMille
In the month of August, on the 12th, in 1881, iconic American filmmaker, Cecil B. DeMille was born in Ashfield, Massachusetts. Cecil Blount DeMille's parents were playwright father, Henry Churchill DeMille, and educator and play-broker mother, Matilda Beatrice Samuel. Older brother William C. DeMille would also become a director and playwright. Cecil attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York starting in 1898. He worked as a stage actor and playwright in the 1900s. By 1912, Cecil co-founded the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company alongside Jesse Lasky and Samuel Goldwyn. Known as the "Master of Spectacle," he directed and produced roughly 70 films, spanning both the silent and sound eras. Cecil shaped the cinematic landscape with grand biblical epics and lavish historical dramas. By 1914, Cecil's co-founded company evolved into Paramount Pictures with which he won the Academy Award for Best Picture with his production, 'The Greatest Show on Earth' in 1953. He was known on-set as a strict, jodhpurs-wearing "director-general" who demanded absolute authority. Cecil B. DeMille died of heart failure in January 1959, at the age of 77. He is still honored yearly as a founding father of American cinema, and the quintessential Hollywood showman, by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association via the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Mont-Saint-Michel (moh-sahn-mee-shell) or "The Nest"
We once again were inspired to research a location that we saw on a series. This one is Mont-Saint-Michel from "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon." The location in the series is like a safe haven for the good people, at least that is the way it appears on the surface. The castle-like main building is so beautiful and large that it seemed like it had to be a creation of CGI, so we were shocked to look it up and find that it was a real place. And when we dug a little further to see if it was haunted, sure enough, it was! Join us for the history and hauntings of France's Mont-Saint-Michel.
Mont-Saint-Michel is actually its own island and is a village. An interesting aspect of the island is that it is ruled by the tides as to whether people can reach it from the mainland. The island was originally named Mont-Tombe (mohn tohnb-bay), which means Mount Grave, and is located off the northwestern coast of France off of Normandy. This island sits at the mouth of the Couesnon (KWAY-non) River and at high tide, the island is surrounded by water. The island is circular in shape and measures 3,000 feet around and is made from granite with this immense granite outcrop that stands 256 feet high. The name of the island was changed to Mont-Saint-Michel in the 8th century. It was at this time that the Bishop of Avranches (ah-vrahn-sh), St. Aubert (oh-BAIR), had 3 separate visions in 708 that he claimed were of the archangel Michael and he was told to build a small chapel there. It took three visions because the bishop thought the first two were just dreams. When the archangel showed up the third time, he pressed his finger into the bishop's forehead to let him know that this was the real deal. There is a relic that backs up this story, the bishop's skull. The Saint-Gervais (san zher-VAY) basilica in Avranches (ah-vrahn-sh) has a skull on display that bears a round hole and it has been venerated for centuries as St. Aubert’s (oh-BAIR's). The bishop built the chapel and it was consecrated on October 16, 709. When people were told that this chapel was inspired by the archangel, it became a pilgrimage site. There were so many manuscripts and books kept here that people started calling it "The City of Books."
The bishop sent a community of canons to the chapel and they served for 250 years until Duke Richard I replaced them with Benedictine monks in 966. A Benedictine abbey was then built there and the Benedictine abbey lasted for 832 years, broken into two periods because the abbey was not without conflict.
In 1067, the Mount supported William the Conquerer and he rewarded it with with property on the English side of the channel. King Philip II of France tried to capture it in 1203 and part of it was burnt in the melee. Fortunately, he apologized for the damage by building the monastery known as La Merveille (“The Wonder”) for the monks. The decision was made that the island needed to be fortified and so stronger walls were built in 1256 and it was able to resist sieges during the Hundred Year War between England and France (1337–1453) and the French Wars of Religion (1562–98). That Hundred Year War is the one that Joan of Arc became prominent during. But many years were spent in peace until the monastery went into decline during the 18th century. By the French Revolution, there were only seven monks at the abbey. The revolution caused its total dissolution for this first period of its Benedictine time in 1791. Napoleon I felt that the site would make the perfect prison as it was fortified and hard to reach. Mont-Saint-Michel would be a prison from 1791 to 1863, 72 years. The nickname "Bastille of the Seas" was given to it. A Wheel Room was built in the monks' former ossuary with an enormous wheel that could hoist food up to the prisoners held in the abbey. High profile political dissidents and revolutionaries were the main prisoners from the 1830s into the 1840s and this caused a lot of public protests. Writer Victor Hugo spearheaded a restoration campaign with writings that rallied the public to protest prisoners being kept in a place that was a medieval abbey that should be returned to such use. He wrote in a letter to the poet Louise Bertin on June 27, 1836 from Mont Saint-Michel, "Around us, everywhere as far as the eye can see, infinite space, the blue horizon of the sea, the green horizon of the earth, the clouds, the air, the freedom, the birds flying on all wings, […] and then, suddenly, there, in a crest of an old wall, above our heads, through a barred window, the pale figure of a prisoner. Never have I felt more keenly than here the cruel antitheses that man sometimes makes with nature." Public pressure worked at the prison was closed in 1863.
In 1864, the Service des Monuments Historiques (sehr-vees day mon-y-muhnt eez-tor-eek) restored the building and opened it to the public. This proved to be a popular tourist spot and a road dike was built in 1879 to help with transportation. Five years before that, in 1874, it was classified as a historic monument.
By 1901, a steam tramway was constructed from the town of Pontorson (pohn-tor-sohn) to the Mount. At this time, efforts were made to restore various buildings in the village that had fallen into disrepair and new buildings were also built in the Norman and Gothic Revival styles. The Mount survived both World Wars, but it was occupied by the Germans from 1940 to 1944. Towards the end of the War in August of 1944, an American Private named Freeman Brougher from Pennsylvania went to the Mount with two British reporters, Gault MacGowan of the New York Sun and Paul Holt with the London Daily Express and the men liberated Mont-Saint-Michel. Crowds were very happy and welcomed them and the mayor invited the American soldier to sign the Golden Book, the island's record of visiting nobility. The Benedictine monks returned in 1966 to celebrate the 1,000- year anniversary of the founding of their order. In 1979, UNESCO added Mont Saint-Michel and its bay to its list of World Heritage sites. The Benedictines stayed until 2001 when the brothers and sisters of the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem replaced them at the site. They remain and welcome pilgrims and visitors from all over the world. Car parks were built on the mainland to facilitate visitors and the old road dyke is now a walkway bridge. Today, Mont Saint-Michael is a major tourist spot and a small village of about 50 people and there are 132 hotel rooms. What people will find here includes the prominent abbey church that towers over the island and has an imposing 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque nave. This was built over four crypts. The main entrance leads into a fortified guard room that was staffed during the Hundred-Years War.
Creating the abbey was an architectural feat that continued to be added upon. There was an elegant choir in Flamboyant Gothic style that was built starting in 1450. The tower and spire were added in the 19th century. The tower has a statue of St. Michael atop it that was created in 1897 by the sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet at the request of the architect Victor Petitgrand. The statue was restored in 1987 and regilded in 2016.
Saint Michael has always been considered the leader of the heavenly host and is the leading defender against evil, specifically the dragon. He is usually depicted with a sword and a set of scales. Medieval people believed Saint Michael was the one who guided the dead into the afterlife and weighed souls on the Day of Judgement. After the Hundred Years’ War, the French held Saint Michael to be a patriotic figure. There is a the west terrace that was the original forecourt of the abbey church and has a panoramic view of the bay. There is a rich biodiversity in the bay. The view also includes a view of the abbey church, the bays of the cloister and the spire under the feet of the archangel. The site also has the 1228 Gothic monastery known as La Merveille, translated as The Marvel that is a group of Gothic buildings. It has both a religious look and and a fortress look with a refectory that has high, narrow windows and a cloister with sculptures. The cloister is at the top of The Marvel and was built in the 13th century. It is trapezoidal in shape and has a garden and a covered gallery that runs around it. The garden is separated by an original colonnade, composed of 137 columns arranged in staggered rows and forming tripods, which support the vault and the roof of the cloister gallery. The garden being open to the sky and this high up, aided the monks in their meditations and feeling closer to God and heaven. A chapter house was supposed to be built off it, but this never happened.
The Refectory with all of its windows is always filled with natural light and the monks would eat here in silence while another monk stood at the pulpit and read to them. The Guests’ Hall is beneath the Refectory and was used to house kings and nobles when they came to visit.
St. Peter's Church was dedicated to the patron saint of fisherman and is a small parish church in the middle of the village just below the main abbey. It was built between the 15th and 16th centuries. The Grand Rue is a steep, winding main street that is lined with the houses and shops of the village. Everything is surrounded by the Ramparts that remind everyone that this place used to have to keep out invaders. The Almshouse is beneath the Hall of Guests and the monks welcomed the poor and pilgrims from all walks of life. The Lace Staircase is amazing and is the highest point accessible to visitors. It spans one of the flamboyant gothic buttresses and was built at the time of the reconstruction of the choir, which was completed in 1523. The staircase is a real piece of Gothic art.
With the history behind this site, it isn't surprising that there are reports of ghosts here. After all, it was originally named Mount Grave. People refer to the waters and sands around the Mount as Red Sands. That red represents blood. The blood of fallen soldiers. Local folklore claims that on quiet, stormy nights, the tides turn red and the cries of fallen soldiers are heard. The sounds of battles are also heard. Sometimes there is the sound of chanting and praying as well. And there are even bells because a legend claims a great flood took out a forest and village that was once here.
There are several legends connected to the Mount too. A legend claims that Saint Michael and the Dragon had their battle here, not in Heaven. And another claims that Saint Michael and the Devil were neighbors here at the bay. Saint Michael had a bunch of sand, but the Devil had rich farmland. The two agreed to split the harvest and the Devil decided he wanted the top of the crops and so Saint Michael got the roots. The first year, up came onions, carrots, and turnips. There were no top crops, so the Devil chose the roots the next year. Up came wheat that year. The Devil was pissed and so he decided to fight Michael. Michael kicked him so hard, it is said the Devil ended up near Mortain and people say you can still see claw marks on the rocks where he fell. There is a legend linking Mont Saint-Michel to Dante’s Hell and this plays on the idea of subterranean chambers, hidden passageways, and the sensation of being trapped in an otherworldly space. In Dante’s Inferno, Hell is depicted as a series of descending circles, each reserved for different sins and punishments. Some modern myths and local folklore suggest that beneath Mont Saint-Michel, there are secret tunnels, caverns, or even portals that could lead to an underworld—a concept that aligns with the dramatic architecture and mystical atmosphere of the site. However, these ideas are purely fictional and have no basis in historical fact. Instead, they tap into the rich tradition of using Mont Saint-Michel’s remote, almost inaccessible position as a symbol of both spiritual transcendence and the darker, unknown realms that lie beneath the surface of human experience.
The walls of the Mount are still inscribed by men who were prisoners here and left their marks behind. Some of their spirits were left behind as well. Their disembodied voices are heard.
One of the commanders at the abbey was Captain Louis d’Estouville (dess-toot-veel). He served during the Hundred Year War. He led his troops into slaughtering thousands of English soldiers and the ground was soaked with their blood. This was during a brutal battle in 1434 with the English being led by Thomas de Scales into a full assault on the abbey. The Captain had a force of only 300 and they managed to kill 2,000 English soldiers. One of the things that helped is that the tide came in, trapping the English. Many of them drowned. When the English were finally able to retreat, they left behind two massive wrought-iron siege guns called bombards or Michelettes and these heavy cannons still sit near the entrance gate today. The Captain also seems to have remained, guarding the Mount in the afterlife. His apparition has been seen on the ramparts.
People also claim to see phantom monks that appear as shadowy figures wearing robes. These apparitions roam the ancient stone hallways and crypts and it is thought this is because their burials within the abbey had been disturbed through the years.
Mont-Saint-Michel looks like a location straight out of a fairy tale. It's history has nothing to do with fairy tales though/ A place of spirituality became a place of imprisonment and is today a place to embrace spirituality again while enjoying the architecture and beauty near Normandy. Is Mont-Saint-Michel haunted? That is for you to decide!
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