Hermitage of Saint-Julien

Introduction

The small hermitage of Saint-Julien is set against a rock face, in a truly spectacular location. The path that provides access to it is practically sheer above the Clavalité valley. Despite this, it is wide enough to make the visit quiet and not dangerous. 

Description

A long time ago, there was a simple oratory on that rock, which was later replaced by the hermitage.
Externally, it is covered by a single-pitched roof with a covering of slab tiles, and the main façade is plastered and painted white.
Upon entering the atrium preceding the chapel proper, one immediately sees a large wooden panel pyrographed with St Francis' Canticle of the Creatures. Above a small window is a small notebook, left there to capture the thoughts and emotions of the many visitors. The 19th-century gilded wooden altar and the picture depicting the Saint (painted in 1948 by the Ligurian painter Ettore Mazzini) are only visible through the window. In fact, the inner door is always closed, probably to prevent vandalism, and is only opened on the occasion of the procession held every year on the first Thursday in May. This precaution is not unfounded since the hermitage has suffered the theft of a beautiful wooden statue (made between the 14th and 15th centuries) depicting Saint-Julien-

Information

http://www.comune.fenis.ao.it/cultura/patrimonio_cappelle_saintjulien_er...

 * The Legend of the Saint