The sword in the stone is in Tuscany: trip to San Galgano

The Abbey welcomes us to the Middle Ages with its charm and grandeur. This splendid example of Italian Cistercian Gothic architecture has one unusual feature, namely the absence of a roof, which collapsed in the 18th century due to neglect and bad weather.

In the immediate vicinity, on the hill of Montesiepi, stands the hermitage, with a small round chapel and a hemispheric vault with two-tone concentric rings (terracotta and travertine). Inside, there is one of the most fascinating and mysterious "relics" in the entire region: The San Galgano sword in the stone. Right in the center of the chapel, a spur of rock protrudes from the terracotta floor, in which you will see the sword that was reportedly forged in about 1170.

The sword of San Galgano has an interesting history. According to legend, Galgano Guidotti, born to a noble family in Chiusdino in 1148, after a dissolute life made up of fun and whims, converted to Christianity after the apparition of the Archangel Michael and performed the symbolic gesture of piercing a rock with his sword, thus forming a cross with the hilt. From this time on, he became a devout man, known throughout the Siena territory, until he withdrew and went to live a hut on Monte Siepi. When the saint died in 1181, the bishop of Volterra ordered that he be buried right next to the sword in the stone and that a chapel be built there. Thus the Rotunda or Hermitage of Montesiepi, consecrated in 1185, was built and was later embellished with several frescoes by Lorenzetti.