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habitation of man. It is about 3,000 feet in
circumference at the base, ending in a point 257 feet above
the sea. Till the year 708 it was the barren home of
thousands of seagulls. A church was later built on
the rock, which in the course of centuries took the
form of the present structure. The abbey was
controlled by Benedictine monks and became quite
powerful, serving two purposes, namely, as a house
of God and a fortress for defense of the coast. It
has stood several sieges. In 1427 Lord Scales
attacked the abbey fortress with an army of 20,000
Englishmen, but was repulsed.
The buildings, iucluding the church and
conventual structures are mostly built of granite and look
very strong. The church measures 198 feet in length
by 115 in width. The cloisters surround a court 82
feet by 46 and contain some very large chambers and
halls. Mural chambers and passageways, dug out
seemingly in the very rock, are plenty, and horrid
tales of iron cages and torture chambers are by no
means wanting. Below the rock-built abbey lies a
Pleasant little town.
With this brief description of a few of Normandy’s
Jmportant historic places, we hurry to another phase
°f Norman life, namely the legends and traditions.
Normandy is particularly rich in legends.
Wherever one treads or turns ivy mantled ruins, mounds,
hills and woods greet the traveler with their quaint
tales and traditions from long ago. The people of
former ages were seemingly of a more romantic turn
°f mind than today. Ghosts and evil spirits played
an important part in all the traditions. Here are
a few examples •
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