San Galgano, Italy

San Galgano

San Galgano is a ruined Cistercian abbey southwest of Siena. Nestled in a verdant valley, the frame of San Galgano sits in a wheat field off a drive lined with Roman Cypress.

The monastery was founded in 1220 by Cistercians at the behest of the Bishop of Volterra, Hugh, to deal with the burgeoning following of San Galgano. A local knight, Galgano, who denounced war and drove his sword into the stone, he was beautified in 1185. The Gothic church built by the Cistercians is believed to be the oldest Gothic building in Tuscany.

The abbey suffered under the Republic of Siena and began to fall into ruin as Siena warred with Florence and the plague struck. In 1786, the campanile collapsed, taking the roof with it. The walls of the nave and side aisles remain intact as well as the cloisters and a small museum and shop in the scriptorium.

A short walk uphill leads to the Rotonda or Eremo di Montesiepi where the Tomb of San Galgano is kept and his sword is still encased in stone. Don't miss the grotesque display of two arms - supposedly the arms of a man who attempted to remove the sword and was struck down.

Enjoy a glass of wine at the Salendo Wine Bar near the Chapel (they have a small play area, too) or a tasty meal and comfy bed at the Agriturismo San Galgano just across the road.

Arthur and San Galgano

Arthur is the legendary leader of Britons in the 5th and 6th century during the Anglo-Saxon invasion. At this time Briton refers to the modern area of Wales, Cornwall, and the far western part of the British Isle. This area, while under Roman rule, never lost their own language or identity.

Arther is likely an amalgamation of several men. A Roman with the name of Arturis likely gives the legend the name. The legend quickly spread in the Mediterranean and grew in the medieval period, gaining Camelot (possibly Tintagel in Cornwall) and the Round Table. The troubadours at the court of Aquitaine (modern day Provence) added and popularized the elements of Courtly Love. When Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II in 1137, she only increased the popularity of Arther. Just before her arrival, Geoffrey of Monmouth (heart of Arthurian country) published Historia Regum Britanniae in 1136. His account of the rulers of England and incorporation of the Arthurian legend only heightened the hysteria.

Arthurian tales were already wildly popular on the mainland. Modena Cathedral was begun in 1099. The Porta della Pescheria was carved between 1120 and 1140 and features names from the legend although there is some debate if this refers to Arthur or other tales circulating at the time.

Monks at Glastonbury claimed to have found his and Guinervers tomb in 1191.

Robert de LeBrone published Merlin around 1200, an epic poem in Old French. It is here that the sword in the stone first appeared.

In 1148, a knight named Galgano was born in Chiusdino in Siena. He was a rapacious and vicious soldier in his youth. In 1180, he renounced war, drove his sword into a stone southwest of Siena and lived as a hermit. He died a year later and a cult quickly sprang up here. The round chapel was built in 1184 and flourished.

Its rapid growth and Galgano’s rapid canonization in 1185 caused the presiding Bishop, Hugh of Volterra, to invite Cistercians to run the holy site. They found Abbazia di San Galgano in 1220.

The University of Pavia dated the sword in 2001 and established that the compounds of the metal and the style are from the period San Galgano lived. The sword is broken below the hilt, but the full blade is still encased in the stone.

Logistics

Parking is available along the road leading up the abbey. There is road access up to the hermitage if you need accessible parking. The site is not wheelchair or stroller friendly with a few small steps. Baby-wearing is the way to go for young families.