My friends and I have planned a three week trip to France for June 2022. Early on in the trip we will spend a night on Mont Saint Michel. Has anyone attended Lauds (morning prayer) or Vespers (evening prayer)? We really want to see the Abbey but also want to attend one of the prayer services. However, I am trying to avoid climbing 352 stairs twice. Does it make sense to go to the Abbey in the early evening after we check into our hotel (try to get 5:00 p.m. time slot)....and then stay for Vespers (begins at 6:20) or....to attend Lauds in the morning (6:50 a.m.) and then just leave? The first time slot for touring the Abbey is 9:00 a.m. so we would otherwise have to wait a while after Lauds ends to stay on and tour the Abbey. Do both Lauds and Vespers take place in the Abbey proper or in another chapel? I'm also wondering if both Lauds and Vespers are sung and if they are similar experiences or different from one another. Maybe it's the case that having seen the Abbey while attending one of the prayer services will suffice. Thank you for any insight you can offer.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8882 posts
I attended the morning prayer service in 2018. We lined up outside the Abbey entrance and we were ushered in exactly on time. It is a worship/prayer service and visitors were offered prayer books and were seated on benches. I think there were about 30 visitors present. I followed the lead of other participants for standing, sitting,etc. Afterwards, we were escorted out of the Abbey.
The early morning time may make this a smaller gathering than the one later in the day.