Marie Lavandier défend le CMN face au risque d’un divorce avec le Mont-Saint-Michel

Marie Lavandier, president of the Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN), appeared before the French Senate's Culture Committee on May 27, 2026, to present her "CMN 2030" roadmap focused on visitor services, preventive monument maintenance, and citizen engagement. However, the hearing was dominated by the future of Mont-Saint-Michel abbey, as the Établissement public industriel et commercial (Epic) du Mont-Saint-Michel—created in 2019 to manage access and infrastructure—seeks expanded governance, supported by Norman elected officials and the Cour des comptes. Lavandier did not confirm an imminent state arbitration but noted the CMN-Epic convention was extended to June 30, signaling a pending high-level decision.

Management of Mont-Saint-Michel by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux Called into Question

La gestion du Mont-Saint-Michel par le Centre des Monument Nationaux remise en question

On May 20, the French newspaper La Lettre reported that Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has decided to transfer management of the Mont-Saint-Michel abbey from the Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN) to the Établissement public du Mont-Saint-Michel (EPMSM), which currently handles the bay, parking, and shuttles. The CMN, which administers the abbey and 110 other national monuments, has denounced the move as opaque and lacking impact studies or consultation. Unions including CGT-Culture and CFDT-Culture warn that losing the abbey's revenue—1.4 million annual visitors generating over 15% of CMN's income—would jeopardize maintenance of less profitable sites and restoration projects.