Mont-Saint-Michel is a town known by its fortified island in France, which was ruled by Catholic priests and monks. It is a great tourist attraction. Its summit is occupied by the abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, a place of pilgrimage since the High Middle Ages. The architecture of Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay make it the most visited tourist site in Normandy and the third in France (after Île-de-France) with more than 3,000,000 visitors each year (3,250,000 in 2006). A statue of Saint Michael placed at the top of the abbey church rises 170 meters above the shore. Major element, the abbey and its outbuildings are classified as historic monuments by the list of 1862 (60 other constructions being protected thereafter); the town and the bay appearing since 1979 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.