Book of Hours
The woman first saw the stranded pilgrim, babe in arms, on a poster on the wall of the Medieval Center at the University of Bordeaux the year she finally studied abroad. The black-and-white illustration showed a mother kneeling on the
A young woman's fascination with a poster depicting a troubled mother giving birth on the shore of the tidal island of Mont Saint-Michel led her to delve into the story behind the miraculous event. As a student abroad in Bordeaux, she had seen the poster each day while studying French medieval women, lais of Marie de France, Abelard's letters, and manuscript studies.
Professor Compère, her teacher, explained the legend of the Peril, detailing the stormy journey of a pilgrim who gave birth on the shore of Mont Saint-Michel. The Virgin Mary saved her by shielding her from the rising sea, an event that the legend's English scribes later attributed to the Virgin Mary herself. The professor presented the hagiography of the event, compiled by two English monks, Dominic of Evesham and William of Malmesbury, in the 12th century.
The young woman later purchased a copy of Le Roman du Mont-Saint-Michel from the university's bookstore to explore the story further, discovering how the male saint's version differed from the original tale. The woman found herself contemplating the nature of miracles and the influence of belief on perceived divine intervention.
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