Is San Galgano the original 'Arthur of the Round Table'? The Mystery of the Sword in the Rock and the Medieval Abbey of a Sienese Saint.

The medieval legend of Arthur is one familiar to all Britons, both young and old.  Not only has Arthur’s story acted as the subject of literary and artistic imagination for centuries but it has also become deeply embedded in the historic identity of Britain.

William Morris, Sir Arthur and Lancelot, stained-glass panel,
1862.

… Or so we thought!

When we think of ‘Arthur’, the heroic knight immortalised through generations of poetry and painting, our instinct is to envision him atop a valiant steed set against a specifically English backdrop.  Images depicting Arthurian characters present a landscape that never spans beyond the borders of Wales or Cornwall.  However, a sword in a stone, situated near Siena at the Chapel of Montesiepi, which was built in honour of San Galgano, has shaken up the origins of this deeply-engrained Celtic myth.  Professor Mario Moiraghi, who recently produced a publication on ‘The Enigma of San Galgano’, argues that the Montesiepi sword, plunged by Galgano in 1180, is in fact the same legendary Excalibur extracted by Arthur almost a century later.

San Galgano praying before the rock.

The first text to mention Sir Arthur was Geoffrey of Manmouth’s ‘Historia Regum Britanniae’, yet it was Robert de Moron’s ‘Merlin’, written in the 1200s, that established the image of Arthur pulling the sword out of the rock with as much ease as a knife out of butter!  This is a key moment in Arthurian legend when fate chooses young Arthur to become a military leader in the Christian battle against paganism.  In contrast, San Galgano, once a man of lavish excess and sin, drove his sword into the rock at Montesiepi after seeing a vision of St Michael.  In shock, Galgano abandoned the violence of his past life and immediately became a devout Christian. 

As confirmation of his holiness, Pope Urban III canonised Galgano months after his death.  This certainly offers more proof of his existence than is currently prescribed to Sir Arthur! 

The Sword in the Rock at the Montesiepi Chapel!

Connecting something as exciting and fanciful as the tale of Arthur with a mysterious sword in a rock on a Tuscan hill might at first sight appear slightly romantic, if not totally unbelievable.  But Moiraghi's thoughts are not based on fiction alone, in fact, they have been recently proven through scientific testing undertaken at the University of Pavia.

The results conclude that the metal alloys of the sword at Montesiepi are of authentic 12th century origin, whilst the style of the hilt matches other examples of medieval weaponry.

The neo-Etruscan Chapel of Montesiepi.  Inside the chapel are 14th century
frescoes by the Sienese painter Ambrogio Lorenzetti illustrating the life of San
Galgano.

… So what are we to believe?  Did the legend of Arthur really emerge from the hermitage of San Galgano?  Did the Montesiepi sword belong to San Galgano in the first place?

Until someone invents a time machine (which may be closer in the future than expected!) answers to these questions will remain, for the most part, speculative.  However, this is not to say there exists no firm basis for current debates - the more scientific and literary evidence we collect, the closer we come to unravelling the mystery of Arthur’s legend and its relationship to the sainthood of Galgano.

Whilst the Montesiepi Chapel is a gem in itself, the abbey of San Galgano (situated at the bottom of the hill) offers one of the most breath-taking sights to be encountered in Tuscany.  This Gothic, French-Cistercian abbey is an hour and a half drive from Florence, but is certainly worth every mile.  It is situated almost at random amidst the untouched and magical countryside of Tuscany, detached from the hectic, polluted atmosphere of the modern world.  The abbeys secluded environment only enhances its partially ruined, yet nevertheless, picturesque façade.  Acting as a sanctuary from distracting telephone wires and traffic, the abbey transports visitors to a bygone era.

San Galgano's abbey is also important architecturally, reflecting the advanced skills of the friars who once lived there.  Constructed in the Burgundian Gothic style the building is of a Latin cross formation, with a bipartite elevation and an open roof - this is partly the result of the bell tower collapsing in 1786.  

The design of the interior is constructed of ogival rib-vaulted arches and heavy piers with bundled colonettes.  Each bay is repeated to create clarity within the abbey's imposing structure.

A typically French, High Gothic influence can be distinguished in the tracery of the celestory windows and vertical aspect of architectural details.  The apses' Oculi window re-instills the religious function of the building, coaxing the eye towards heaven.

Close to San Galgano are the Terme di Petriole (or sulphur springs!).  Swimming in these natural waters was an experience I can only compare to having a perfectly hot bath…only outside, in the stunning hills of Tuscany.  If you wish to take some time out from your busy journeying, this is the ideal spot to relax and reflect!  I could have spent a week here!

- Ellie Porter, HOA Intern.