San Galgano and the original sword in the stone

San Galgano: the saint, the king and the sword

This is the story of the听knight听Galgano听and how a vision听made him renounce to wealth, war听and women in name of a life of meditation听and prayer.听This is a听story where faith, legend, history and literature merge in one intriguing tale, to the听d茅nouement of which, in truth, we won鈥檛 be able to come.

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This is a story of Tuscan hills, hermits, abbeys and secluded chapels, filled with听the scents of incense, religion and popular lore.听This is the听story听of a sword, buried deep into the stone and of the holy man who stuck it there听almost 1000 years ago.

Think of the sweet, rolling听hills听of Siena’s听countryside,听around the middle of the 12th century: we鈥檙e in the听Middle Ages,听magical yet听often听misinterpreted times of profound听faith and chilling superstition, of听illiteracy and sublime poetry, of dirt and breathtaking art. An era of听dichotomies and opposites, an era, indeed, where the听otherworldly crossed into the lives of people with an uncommon regularity, or so literature and tradition passed on to us.

Then, in the Merse Valley, just a handful of听kilometers from Siena, our story takes place. It听begins with a a married couple of noble descent, who has been having problems conceiving鈥�

Galgano Guidotti di Chiusdino: from debauchery to holyness

Sources say Galgano Guidotti di Chiusino was the only son of Guidotto and Dionisia, a wealthy couple living in their family castle, in听the Merse Valley.听The two had had听problems conceiving and they听had almost abandoned all hopes, when Dionisia finally became pregnant. In 1148, she gave birth to a male heir for the family鈥檚 fortunes, Galgano.

A wholesome,听earthy child, Galgano grew to be a healthy听young man, who loved hunting, riding horses and听hanging out with his friends. He loved women, too and soon became engaged to Polissena Brizzi, a听young noble from Civitella: not that he had any intention to be faithful, Galgano loved female company too much. He also had a penchant for听using his听hands and sword to solve diatribes, all characteristics his family, his mother in听particular, were not too听happy about.

Here鈥檚 where our story becomes听鈥渕edieval鈥� and that thin line between the real and听the surreal, the visible and the invisible is crossed.

Shortly after Galgano鈥檚 father untimely death, the young听hell riser had a dream. In it, he saw his own听mother holding the听hand of a beautiful angel with golden wings and a sword:听the angel spoke to Galgano,听inviting him听to听become a warrior. And so he did.

Other dreams of the听same type followed, until one day, in 1180听鈥撎齦egends say during a balmy听Spring morning 鈥� while听traveling to Civitella to see听young Polissena, Galgano had a vision of the Archangel Michael, the same of 听his听many dreams: so startled was he, that he fell from his horse. Back on his听two feet, Galgano was a different man: he took his sword and plunged it into a rock, transforming it into a cross.听It was time to become a Miles Christi, a soldier of Christ, abandoning a worldly army to join a celestial one. The branches of the trees all around, as to protect the physical evidence of听the miracle, curved upon it, creating a natural dome. From that moment on, Galgano devoted his听life to prayer and holiness.

As a matter of fact, even his betrothed, Polissena,听converted to a life of asceticism.

Galgano passed away on the 3rd of December 1181, legends say near his sword in the stone. On that very spot, today, 听is听the Rotonda di Montesiepi, a small chapel where you can still see it. The Rotonda was built between 1182 and 1185, much earlier than the nearby abbey of Saint Galgano, today abandoned, the construction of which听began only听around 1220. Its fortunes ran with ups and downs until 1789, when it was deconsecrated and abandoned.

Saint Francis and Galgano

For those interested in the听history of the听Church,听hagiography or simply devout to Saint Francis of Assisi, the similarities听between the conversion of Galgano and that of the patron saint of Italy and Europe must have听immediately听jumped to the听eye. Saint Francis was also the unruly child听of a听wealthy family and his conversion came after many years of debauchery and sins.

Similarities, those between the听two holy men, so听close to bring many to believe Galgano may be a legendary character based on the life of his prestigious contemporary. Galgano died the same year of Saint Francis鈥� birth, 1181听at the age of 33, the same as Christ:听some see this as yet another piece of evidence听proving he may have been an invented character. Truth is, there is not enough material to demonstrate he never existed so, for the sake of our story, let us think of him as a real, bona fide holy man of the late Italian 12th century.

Galgano and King Arthur

Truth is, Galgano鈥檚听story gets even more听fascinating after his death: it is then that his figure and听that of another mysterious medieval hero, King Arthur (or Re Art霉, as we say in Italy) meet听each other. In 1190, only a handful of years听after Galgano鈥檚 death, Chr茅tien de Troyes writes Le Roman de Perceval ou Le Conte du Graal, the first of a long series of works dedicated to the holy grail鈥檚 legend; albeit incomplete, the story of听Perceval, the protagonist of Chr茅tien de Troyes鈥檚 adventure, resembles very closely to that of Galgano. Twenty years later, in 1210, Wolfram von Eschenbach gives his version of Perceval鈥檚 life in Parzival: once again centred on the quest for听the holy grail, once again with a Perceval very much resembling Galgano.

As surreal and, possibly,听fantastic as it may be, the similarities between Galgano and Perceval鈥� stories helped create the connection听between the world of Arthur and听that of the Italian saint, to the point some even advanced the possibility听Galgano may听have听been one of the king鈥檚 own knights, pointing at one in particular, Gawain, who in Italian becomes鈥� 骋补濒惫补苍辞.听

The presence of Galgano鈥檚听sword in the Rotonda听makes the association between the saint and Arthur鈥檚 knights even more enticing. If you add into the mix that the听Rotonda has the听round听shape of a cup (the holy听grail is traditionally believed to be either听the cup where Christ drank听wine from during听the Last Supper, or the vessel used听to gather his听blood during crucifixion)听the connection between Galgano, the grail and Arthur seems magically possible.

An historical side to听the legend?听

No, not听that of the holy grail: the diatribe on听whether it exists or not has been going on听for decades and, let us face it, recent historically听dubious incursions of novelists into the field did little to clarify things. Is听there,听though, a possible link between the figure of Galgano and the birth of听King Arthur鈥檚 legends in France and northern Europe? Some say it could be historically plausible that tales of Galgano鈥檚 mystical conversion and miracles听reached Britain through France,听in the years immediately successive to his death.

The听reason could lie听in听the presence of the Cistercians in Saint Galgano鈥檚 area (even his monastery was theirs): the order had been听particularly active in the dissemination of Arthurian legends all over Europe and their numerous monasteries in Italy, France听and听Britain make it possible to believe it was, indeed, through them that Galgano and Arthur听metaphorically met.

If we take for granted the relationship between Galgano and Arthur, it still听remains hard to ascertain whose life 鈥� or legend 鈥� influenced whom: is it the story of Galgano and his miraculous sword that travelled all the way up听North to Britain, or was Galgano a keen follower of Arthur鈥檚 legendary tales, as recounted by the Cistercians, to the point he听stuck his sword into听stone aware of emulating, albeit in reverse, a great hero?

The mystery, indeed, remains.

Something more to read

The interest around San Galgano, his sword and his ties with King Arthur have been the听subject of much interest and discussion: a quick internet search will give you听plenty of hits,听both in English and听Italian about the topic. If you read Italian, you may be听interested in a volume听first published in 2005, with a second expanded edition dating from 2012, dedicated to the听saint and the mystery of his听sword. L鈥橢nigma di San Galgano, by milanese Mario Moiraghi details all you听have just read, with the addition of interesting chapters dedicated to recent research carried out by the Universities of Padova and Pavia on the sword and on听the relics of Galgano, both kept in听the Rotonda di Montesiepi.

Francesca Bezzone