Welcome to TimeShop: Medieval France! (Scroll down for English) Bienvenue á TimeShop: La France Médiévale! Pour lire cette page en Français, nous recommandons le service Babel Fish, sur la droit. Il est imparfait, mais il est meilleur que notre Français! Merci pour votre interet dans TimeShop!

NOTE: That was a welcome to our French-speaking visitors, who can use the Babel Fish program (above, right) to translate our site. It isn't perfect, but it's better than our French!

 

 

You can see what TimeShop looks like in other languages, too! Try clicking on a flag. The French flag is on the lower left. Unfortunately, languages that use different alphabets, like Chinese or Russian, won't show up properly unless you have special character packs installed. 
What is TimeShop? It's a unique time travel program for children in Statesboro, Georgia, in the rural Deep South of the United States. For more information, click here.

Where will we visit with TimeShop Medieval France?

We're going to the great abbey (a church run by a community of monks) and town of Mont-Saint-Michel. That's pronounced Mon San Michelle, and it means Mount St. Michael in English.

The abbey and town sit on a steep rock in the sea, off the coast of Normandy, a region in northern France. You can get to Mont-Saint-Michel only at low tide, across a causeway over the sand. Beware, because when the tide comes in, it moves at six feet per second. And watch out for the quicksand.

In Wartime England, TimeShoppers are disguised as evacuees from bombing raids in London. What will our disguise be in Medieval France?

We will be pilgrims, the name for people who visit holy sites.

Pilgrims visited Mont-Saint-Michel for many reasons. Certainly, they were drawn by the chance to visit a holy place. But pilgrimages (the name for a pilgrim's journey) were not only about religion. They were also the medieval version of a vacation: A pilgrimage was a chance to get out of your village, relax, go somewhere new and meet people! You could see cool sights, while somebody else made your beds and cooked your food.

There were no modern hotels for pilgrims in the Middle Ages. However, monasteries and even private houses served travelers: In fact, farmers were required by law to provide a free meal and room for pilgrims! Experienced pilgrims knew where to go for the best deals. At Mont-Saint-Michel, ordinary pilgrims stayed in the town next to the abbey. Wealthy and powerful pilgrims were guests of the monks and their leader, the Abbot.

Who will we meet at Mont-Saint-Michel?

We will meet other pilgrims, and people who live in the town that shares the island with the abbey. We will also meet with the monks who live at the abbey itself. In the year 933, the first twelve Benedictine monks had come to live at Mont-Saint-Michel. The abbey soon became a cool pilgrimage site for the rich and famous from across Europe, as well as for ordinary folk. In the 13th century (1200s) King Philippe Auguste of France paid for a huge expansion to the abbey, known as the "Wonder." No wonder it was called the Wonder: It was a wonder it was ever finished, because it took seventeen years to build. Still, Mont-Saint-Michel, both abbey and town, was thriving by the year 1300. But then...disaster struck.

OK, let's guess. We're arriving at a bad time, right?

Yep. Much of the 14th century (1300s) was pretty grim, to be honest, so that's when we're going (we're not sure of the exact date yet.)

In 1346, the 100 Years War between England and France began. Since Mont-Saint-Michel on the coast of northern France, right across the narrow English Channel from the enemy, it was an easy target for English attacks.

The Abbey and town were badly damaged as French and English fought for control over Mont-Saint-Michel... and then the Black Death (a nasty disease) arrived in Normandy. Things went downhill from there.

See you in the 14th century at TimeShop in 2007! For registration information, go to Future Programs.