Tombelaine
Encyclopedia
Tombelaine is a small tidal island
off the coast of Normandy
in France
. It lies a few kilometres north of Mont Saint-Michel
. At low tide the island can be reached on foot (with a guide) from the coast of Cotentin, 3.5 km to the north-east, and from Mont Saint-Michel. The island lies just to the south of the course of the Sélune
river, which has to be forded to access the island from Cotentin. The island is 250 metres by 150 metres, and 45 metres high. It is composed of granite
. It is in the commune of Genêts
.
The name could also come from tumulus belenis, the "tumulus
of Belenos", a Celtic god, or from Celtic
words meaning "the little mountain", in contrast with Mont St-Michel.
founded a priory on the island, and it became a place of pilgrimage.
On 11 February 1423, in the Hundred Years War, Tombelaine was occupied by the English as a base to attack Mont Saint-Michel. In the 16th century French religious wars Gabriel, comte de Montgomery
, leader of the Huguenot
armies, occupied the island.
In 1666 the marquis de la Chastrière ordered the destruction of the island's fortifications, in case they were again used by the English.
The island was purchased by the state in 1933, and was declared a historic monument
by a decree of 1936. It became a bird reserve in 1985.
Tidal island
A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands many of them have been sites of religious worship, such as Mont Saint Michel with its...
off the coast of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It lies a few kilometres north of Mont Saint-Michel
Mont Saint-Michel
Mont Saint-Michel is a rocky tidal island and a commune in Normandy, France. It is located approximately one kilometre off the country's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches...
. At low tide the island can be reached on foot (with a guide) from the coast of Cotentin, 3.5 km to the north-east, and from Mont Saint-Michel. The island lies just to the south of the course of the Sélune
Sélune
The Sélune is a 91 km long river in the Manche department, Normandy, France, beginning near Saint-Cyr-du-Bailleul. It empties into the bay of Mont Saint-Michel near Avranches, close to the mouth of the Sée river. Other towns along the Sélune are Barenton, Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët and...
river, which has to be forded to access the island from Cotentin. The island is 250 metres by 150 metres, and 45 metres high. It is composed of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. It is in the commune of Genêts
Genêts
Genêts is a commune in the Manche department in northwestern France. It was the port of the oppidum Ingena , the main settlement of the Abrincatui....
.
Name
According to popular etymology the name means "the tomb of Hélène", from a princess named Hélène, daughter of King Hoël, said to have been buried on the rock.The name could also come from tumulus belenis, the "tumulus
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
of Belenos", a Celtic god, or from Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
words meaning "the little mountain", in contrast with Mont St-Michel.
History
In the 11th century, two monks from Mont Saint-Michel were hermits on Tombelaine. In 1137 Bernard du BecBernard du Bec
Bernard du Bec , also known as Bernard le Vénérable, was a Benedictine monk who served as the thirteenth abbot of Mont Saint-Michel. He belonged to a high-ranking noble family in Normandy....
founded a priory on the island, and it became a place of pilgrimage.
On 11 February 1423, in the Hundred Years War, Tombelaine was occupied by the English as a base to attack Mont Saint-Michel. In the 16th century French religious wars Gabriel, comte de Montgomery
Gabriel, comte de Montgomery
Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, seigneur de Lorges , a French nobleman, was a captain in Henry II's Scots Guards...
, leader of the Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
armies, occupied the island.
In 1666 the marquis de la Chastrière ordered the destruction of the island's fortifications, in case they were again used by the English.
The island was purchased by the state in 1933, and was declared a historic monument
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by a decree of 1936. It became a bird reserve in 1985.