In 1874, the Historic Monuments’ Department restored the Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel and opened it to the public. To accommodate the rapidly growing number of tourists, a dike-road was built in 1879. The Mont-Saint-Michel thus lost its maritime character, which it only recently regained. UNESCO confirmed its unique cultural and religious status by listing it in the World Heritage List in 1979 and in 1998 as part of the French Way of St. James. This double recognition demonstrates the universal and exceptional value of this monument.