The Sword in the Stone — An Italian Legend.

Real life San Galgano’s legend of how his faith led his sword through solid rock.

Richard Bruschi
The Mystery Box

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Photo by Paolo Dalmasso.

Siena, Tuscany. Drive south-west for 45 minutes through hills, fields, and tree-lined roads out of a postcard. There are few cars on the snaking asphalt. The road’s last few hundred feet are lined with tall cypresses, a sign a destination is ahead. True enough, the tall Abbey of San Galgano stands on top of the hill. The bright stone recalls the golden color of the surrounding landscape in spring. The structure seems intact except that the roof and the glazing are missing. The ruins are well kept, so much that standing inside they could look as if built as such on purpose, soaring to the sky, elegant and awe-inspiring.

Construction of the Abbey began in 1218 to create a religious and monastic center of the Cistercians order. The location was not random. Just a few steps away, the Chapel of San Galgano a Montesiepi stood, having been built in 1185. This is four years after the death of (then) the hermit Galgano.

Sainthood as well as attention from the top orders of the Church within four years of one’s death are somewhat rare. Not only. His cult spread fast and wide.

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Richard Bruschi
The Mystery Box

Renaissance man. Writer, photographer, architect, and editor. Topics about history, architecture, travel, mystery, fitness & health, Italy, the UK, and the PNW.