Page:History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 1.djvu/619

 Bk. II. Ch. X. DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE. 587 walls and defences as almost any place in Europe. The former in particular, both from its situation and the extent of its remains, gives a singularly favorable and impressive idea of the grave majesty of an ancient fortalice. But for alterations and desecrations of all sorts, the i^alace of the popes at Avignon would be one of the most remark- able castles in Europe : even now its extent and the massiveness of its walls and towers are most imposing. These are all either ruins or fragments ; but the Castle of Mont St. Michel, in Xormandy, retains nearly all the features of a Mediaeval fortress in sufficient perfection to admit of its being restored, in imagination at least. The outer walls still remain, encircling the village, which nestles under the protection of the castle. The church crowns the whole, and around it are grouped the halls of the knights, the kitchens and offices, and all the appurtenances of the establish- ment, intermingled with fortifications and defensive precautions that must have made the place nearly impregnable against such engines of war as existed when it was erected, even irrespective of its sea-girt position.