Scriptorial of Avranches

The Mont Saint-Michel manuscripts survived the French Revolution only because the abbey's librarian, Nicolas de Villiers, secretly hid them in Avranches in 1791. Without his intervention, these priceless documents would likely have been destroyed like countless other religious artifacts across France.

The museum building itself incorporates remains of medieval fortifications built between the 13th and 15th centuries. Architects integrated contemporary glass and steel structures around the original stone walls, creating a dialogue between medieval defense architecture and modern museum design.

Among the collection's treasures is a 10th-century manuscript of Aristotle's works, copied by monks at Mont Saint-Michel. This makes it one of the oldest surviving Latin translations of Greek philosophy in Western Europe, predating most university libraries.