The Truth about King Arthur

As I was in San Galgano to see the abbey of Cistercian monk and couldn’t resist to see also the sword of King Arthur. Or better of his legend. Because the truth seems to be very different to the one we all have seen in movies, read in books and learnt in school maybe as well.

We know the great King of Britain who fought for his people to free them from tyranny and chaos. Well, here at Galgano I found something new.

King Arthur became king because he was the only one to pull out a sword out of a rock. No one else was able. But why the sword ended in the rock? The answer is here..

The chapel of Montesiepi is situated just a 100 meters from the abbey San Galgano on a hill. On this hill Galgano Guidotti – Saint Galgano – changed his life definitely. After a ruthless life full of war and fights he changed his mind and started a pious hermitage just in this place. To show his firm will to change everything he took his sword and plunged it into a rock. The now remaining shape of the hilt and blade looks like a cross he used to pray at. A symbol for his new life.

The changing of San Galgano came after he had a vision of an Archangel to give up his lifestyle of violence, lust and arrogance.

Of course every thinking being says: “It’s a fake!” But scientists studied the rock and the sword. The sword is definitely from the 12th century. How the rock opened when San Galgano pulled the sword into it is a mystery. The sword is firm and doesn’t move. Another legend says – an old lady told me – that a man centuries later tried to get the sword out of the rock (maybe to be a new King Arthur?) and a wolf came to kill him. There is still a hand to see that remained near to the sword.

Fortunately I didn’t see the hand but a beautiful ceiling in the chapel. Round and nearly making me dizzy looking at it. The domed roof is decorated with 24 concentric circles in white stone and terracotta. It looks a little Etruscan to me. Great frescoes in a second chamber were relaxing and a perfect place to contemplate.

I really was impressed by the true story of the sword and this magic place they even say that maybe here the Holy Grail is hidden as well. But sitting there and taking all that mystery in I decided that the story about King Arthur is great as well and I want continue to believe in it. I make too different stories about it – I think that is fine. What do you think? Do you believe in the King Arthur story? Or are you amazed by this ‘new’ discovery like me and uncertain of what to feel about it? Let me know..


San Galgano, Chiusdino/Italy:


For further information:
Abbey of San Galgano


Be sociable, tell others!
This entry was posted in Europe, Italy, ON TRAVEL, Tuscany and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

(Spamcheck Enabled)