Thread by @the_culturist_

You've seen this before: Mont-Saint-Michel — the Wonder of the Western World.

But did you know it has a twin, 200 miles away, also named after St. Michael?

That's where things get really strange... (thread) 🧵

This is the "twin": St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall, England.

It's also a tidal island with a chapel, remarkably similar to its French counterpart, and only accessible at low tide.

Here's a map of the two. You can draw a line between them just over 200 miles long as the crow flies.

But what happens if you keep extending that line?

You get this: a straight line all the way from Ireland to Israel. Along it are 7 medieval monasteries linked to the Archangel Michael.

What are they, and is this just a strange coincidence?

St. Michael is one of the biblical archangels. He's best known for defeating Satan in the New Testament, and is usually depicted with a sword or spear during this heroic moment.

Each point on the line has a curious link to him...

The westernmost point is an island called Skellig Michael. Medieval monks started worshipping here in the 7th century, and built a church honoring Michael around 950 AD.

Next is St. Michael's Mount. A monastery was built here in the 8th century, and it was later gifted to the same Benedictine order of Mont Saint-Michel.

But local legend says the link is far older, and Michael was sighted here by fishermen in 495 AD.

Then, Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy. People call it the 8th Wonder of the World for obvious reasons — it can be hard to believe it's a real place.

This one has the most curious origin story of all...

In 708 AD, an oratory was built here by a local bishop. He had been visited by Michael in a series of visions and instructed to build a shrine on the island...

Why? Because this was the exact point at which Saint Michael defeated Satan (in the form of a dragon).

This is stated in a 9th century Latin text recording the origins of Mont-Saint-Michel.

Next is Sacra di San Michele, at the peak of Mount Pirchiriano (near Turin).

It's also on an impressive pinnacle, and its origin story is a vision of St. Michael. In 980 AD, he appeared to a hermit and instructed him to build an abbey here.

Next is even older. The Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo is the oldest shrine dedicated to St. Michael in Europe.

8th century writings say he appeared in 490 AD, and again in 663 — when his spectacular apparition helped the Lombards defeat invaders in battle.

Then, a small Greek island called Symi. Most of its religious buildings are dedicated to Michael, including this one in Panormitis. It dates all the way to 450 AD, and was built around a miraculous icon of Michael...

Last is the Stella Maris Monastery in Israel, on Mount Carmel — close to Nazareth.

It's also a vantage point, but not dedicated to St. Michael. It's where the prophet Elijah lived, built over a small grotto of his...

Similar imagery to Michael is associated with Elijah, wielder of a sword.

And the monastery is dedicated to the Virgin Mary — Queen of Angels. Perhaps it's fitting that the line ends here, at the entrance to the Holy Land...

So, what is this all about? Some say the line represents the stroke of St. Michael's sword that sent Lucifer to Hell.

But how accurate is the line exactly?

In order to capture all of 7 points in an arc connecting the end points, the line has to be about 20km wide.

Sacra di San Michele falls exactly in line with the two extremes.

This is what's known as a "ley line". Of course, you can draw them between all sorts of places and eventually find one. There's even another relating to St. Michael across England:

They're usually put down to sheer coincidence. But what about this one?

Well, there are many more accounts from the Middle Ages of him appearing miraculously across Europe, and plenty of other sites bearing his name.

But these are the most beautiful and significant of all, arranged curiously in one great swing of a sword.

Were they named intentionally by medieval Christians to form a line? Or did they simply fall into place...

Looking at Mont-Saint-Michel, it's certainly hard not to conclude it was divinely created…

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Pilgrims have come from afar for 1,000 years.

To cross to it from the shoreline is known as taking the "paths to paradise" — and it's easy to see why...