Mont Saint Michel has a long history, the earliest documented evidence of which dates back to the start of the eight century AD. The Bishop of Avranches is said to have been given divine instruction from Archangel Michael to build a monastery on what was then called Mont-Tombe. It soon became a pilgrimage destination, and by the 10th century the abbey had been settled by Benedictine monks. The abbey was built with the church at the pinnacle, while a village developed at the foot of the granite outcrop.

During the Hundred Years War substantial ramparts and fortifications were built around the edge of the isle to resist the English. A few hundred years later after the Revolution in 1789, the religious community was dissolved and the abbey used as a prison until 1863.

Mont Saint Michel was classified as a historic monument in 1874, and underwent major renovations, which continue until this day. A major project is currently underway to reverse the permanent causeway that joins the isle with the mainland.