Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: hermit

Already Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths, may have funded a church, erected over the tomb of Saint Zeno, who, following the legends, was born in Mauretania and died around 380 in Verona. The erection of the present church began in the 9th century. Soon after San Zeno´s relics were translated into the new church. At that time Charlemagne´s son Pepin (aka "Pepin of Italy") resided in Verona and a large Benedictine monastery grew all around the church. When the Magyars invaded Italy in the early 10th century, the church got severely damaged, but the relics were not harmed, as they had been taken out and were hidden. In 967, a new church was built with the patronage of Otto I. On January 3, 1117, the church was damaged by an earthquake, that ruined so many buildings in Northern Italy. The church was restored and got enlarged in 1138. It may well be, that soon after panels of a bronze door from another (destroyed?, damaged?) church were transferred to San Zeno - and so got reused here. Today the famous bronze door consists out of two panels on which the plates are fixed. The older ones (~ 1100) are often compared with the bronze works in Hildesheim, and Saxon Masters may have worked here. The younger ones (1200) are "smoother" and some scholars connect them to Benedetto Antelami, who worked in Parma 1178 ("Deposition"). Unfortunately the room is so small, that I was unable to take an "overview", so I could only take photos of panels and details. Some of the panels depict scenes of legends around San Zeno. They tell, that before he became bishop of Verona, he lived as a hermit near the river Adige, where he went fishing. His attributes are a fishing rod and a basket - and he is still patron saint for fishermen and anglers.

The abbey at Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire (originally known as Fleury Abbey) was founded on the banks of the Loire river mid 7th century. It is one of the oldest abbeys of the Benedictine rule in France. The story starts in 672, when some of its monks traveled to Montecassino (Italy), dug up the remains of St. Benedict of Nursia (+ 547) and his sister St. Scholastica and brought them home. After the relics had reached at Fleury Abbey it which was renamed Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire - and due to the relics became a major place of pilgrimage. Of course, this did not help when the Normans rowed up the Loire and burned the buildings of the monastery. But the convent recovered and rebuilt. A famous school and a scriptorium existed here in the late 10th century. The erection of the church started around 1071. When the church was consecrated in 1108, the long nave was not completed. The abbey thrived, but times got rougher. In 1562, the abbey was pillaged by Huguenots. The buildings were restored, but looted and destroyed again during the French Revolution. Saint-Benoît's monks left the abbey and so the history of the convent ended after more than 1100 years. The abbey church had escaped destruction and got restored in the 19th century. In 1944, the convent was refounded the abbey buildings were rebuilt by Benedictine monks after World War II. So the history of the convent was just interrupted for about 150 years. "Tour de Gauzlin", the massive porch tower, erected from 1020 on, serves as a narthex for the west entrance. The columns are decorated with interesting capitals, that were probably carved around 1080. One artist, who worked here, was Unbertus. He left a signature. Here are (only partly seen) two capitals with (for me) very cryptical icons. A Lamb of God, approaching riders, a horrible mask, tiny heads on the ground, a star... Are these the Riders of the Apocalypse? On the right capital are 7 heads (relics) are placed on a shelf. A small person hands a book (?) to a large one (floating?). Further to the right a figure lies on the ground (adoring?) in front of a seated person, wearing a sash. There is a small inscription over the besashed figure "I REMIT". So here are from a convent with relics and a scriptorium - and and "eremitage".... Somebody has given all persons blue eyes. Looks like felt pen..

The "Ermitage Saint-Gerbold" is hidden in the woods between Coutances and the village of Gratot. The construction of first small chapel here was funded by Philippe d’Argouges, Lord of Gratot, in 1403. Enlarged and fortified over the time, this was a hermitage upto the French Revolution, when it was sold as National Property. In the early 19th century, it was in the possession of the Argouges-family again, but was again sold, after the last hermit died in 1830. USed as a barn and later abandoned it fell in ruins, but was saved and finally restaurated in 2000.