le Mont St. Michel

Today we went to le Mont St Michel. It is an abbey/church/town  built on a rock. It was an island, but now permanent silt connects it to the mainland. The land around it is flat, flat, flat - so it is really prominent on the landscape. As an engineer, I would love to analyze how the structural loads are carried - do you think anyone would finance that? I would be willing to relocate for the cause. The French love dogs, so Herbie would be a hit!