Le Scriptorial, musée des manuscrits du Mont-Saint-Michel, Manuscript museum in Avranches, France
Le Scriptorial is a museum in Avranches dedicated to medieval manuscripts, featuring ten exhibition rooms with original documents from the period. The collection also includes early printed books and demonstrates various production techniques used in manuscript creation.
The collection comes from monks at Mont-Saint-Michel who copied texts in the Middle Ages, preserving and sharing the knowledge of their time. This copying tradition was a vital part of monastic work in safeguarding education and literature.
The name reflects the art of scriptwriting and honors the monks who worked with dedication to create their works. Today, visitors can see how this craft tradition shapes the spaces and understand the importance these written pages held for spreading knowledge.
The museum offers interactive stations and areas where visitors can examine manuscripts closely and try basic calligraphy techniques. It is wise to allow at least an hour and a half to two hours to explore everything at a leisurely pace.
A special section of the museum houses rare early printed books kept under strict conditions to ensure their preservation. These valuable items show the early history of book printing and how technology developed following manuscript traditions.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
