Since it was founded in 1998, the Association "les Chemins de saint Michel" has set itself the goal of rediscovering the ancient pilgrimage routes leading to Mont-Saint-Michel in Europe, marking them out and promoting the heritage associated with them.
The aim of the project is not only to create a network of routes open to the public, but also to promote tourism and cultural development.
Through this project, it also hopes to renew the links between Mont-Saint-Michel and the other major shrines dedicated to the Archangel in Europe.
It was against this backdrop that the "Chemins de saint Michel" were designated a Cultural Route by the Council of Europe in January 2007.
To formalise and promote this recognition, and at the same time initiate new partnerships, the Association organised, with the support of its partners and the Council of Europe's Institute of Cultural Routes, a first federative event around the paths of Saint Michael in November 2007.
ASSESSMENT OF THESE MEETINGS
On Thursday 29 November, the Conseil Régional de Basse-Normandie hosted a day of meetings and workshops.
The players involved were given the opportunity to meet each other, with a view to working together on joint projects and participating in European programmes for territorial cooperation (Interreg), culture or "Europe for Citizens".
These first European meetings brought together around sixty participants, including many local players involved in promoting the paths of Saint Michael, as well as large delegations from Auvergne, England, Italy and Spain.
These were two days rich in exchanges and sharing of experiences between various cultural and institutional players, including representatives of the Council of Europe's Cultural Routes (Santiago de Compostela, Saint-Martin de Tours, Via Francigena), representatives of the high places dedicated to Saint Michael in Europe (Mont-Saint-Michel, St Michael's Mount, Rocher Saint-Michel d'Aiguilhe, etc.) and local authorities (Galicia, Hampshire, Agglo du Puy-en-Velay, etc.).
This work has paved the way for the networking of European sites dedicated to Saint Michael and historic pilgrimage routes, with a view to developing cultural heritage initiatives in Europe.
These discussions continued on Friday 30 November in the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel with a presentation of the project to restore the maritime character of the Mont at the priory in Ardevon and a visit to the Abbey.
The day was marked by an official ceremony at which the Council of Europe awarded the Cultural Route label to all those involved in the St Michael's Way.
THE CULTURAL ROUTES PROGRAMME
The Council of Europe's Cultural Routes programme was launched in 1987. The idea is to show a different image of Europe, a Europe whose historical foundations are based on a shared memory and cultural heritage. And what better link to illustrate this idea than the road and the journey? It was merchants, pilgrims, builders, artists... who, as they travelled, paved the way for the exchanges, the richness and the cultural diversity that are the lifeblood of Europe today.
The first recognised itinerary, "The Pilgrim's Way to Santiago de Compostela", is the one that inspired this programme, revealing new inventive projects that are particularly rich in discoveries.
To implement this programme, a technical agency was set up in 1998: the European Institute of Cultural Routes, based in Luxembourg. The team that runs the Institute ensures day-to-day monitoring and liaison between the partners. These are our new partners, and from now on you will often see them associated with our actions.
A new phase has begun in the life of the Chemins de saint Michel...
OTHER CULTURAL ROUTES
There are currently 24 Council of Europe Cultural Routes, and we wanted to present a few of them to you so that you could see for yourself the richness of our heritage and the network that is being woven across Europe. Every time we've met the other routes, we've discovered new projects and ideas, and we've been able to learn from each other's experiences.
Some of these routes can be grouped together under the same theme, such as pilgrimages, to which the Pilgrim's Way to St Michael, the Way of St James and the Via Francigena belong. You may be less familiar with the latter, which is the route taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 990 to get to Rome and receive the pallium of investiture. We'll be working with these two routes, some of which are very similar to those of Saint Michael.
There are also Itineraries traced by great European figures such as Mozart or the "Saint-Martin de Tours, symbol of sharing", a project with which we will also be working.
We can't mention them all here, but there are others throughout Europe who, like us, are forging links and networks, encouraging exchange and sharing.