St Ferréol Hermitage, Céret, France - Medieval Churches on Waymarking.com

We have visited several St Ferréol churches in France. They tend to be in isolated areas, often high in the mountains. Perhaps we observed them their just because that is where we go, perhaps because there is something about the devotion to St Ferréol that attracts isolated mountain people.

One first exposure was the isolated chapel of St Ferréol in Provence (WM8POF). We were attracted to this wayside chapel by the old sundial, enjoyed the statue of St Ferréol and the view over the fields of lavender. The next significant exposure was the St Ferréol Hermitage above Céret on the slopes of Mt Canigou in the Pyrenees. This is where we learned about St Ferréol.

The original St Ferréol was a Roman soldier, an officer, a tribune (Colonel), an important person. He became a Christian at a time when Christians were persecuted. He was arrested and tried for sedition as he refused to follow orders and persecute Christians. Specifically he protected St Julian. He was imprisoned for his faith, seeing this as a higher honour than his duties as a military officer. He miraculously escaped from prison in Lyon and swam across the Rhone*. He was recaptured near Vienne and savagely beheaded. He remains a martyr for his faith and a symbol of honour for soldiers. This is what we learned at the Hermitage and from Butler’s “Lives of the Saints”.

In the church of the St Ferréol Heritage there were many notes, plaques and cards invoking St Ferréol to protect their loved ones off to war and many cards of thanks for their safe return. Also there were many crutches, etc. from war vets thanking St Ferréol for their return and recovery from wounds.

In the USA you see many yellow ribbons invoking patriotism and support for the troops away fighting in foreign wars, far from home. These are based on the tradition to “tie a yellow ribbon on the old oak tree” until your loved one returns from the wars so far away. It is an old tradition with many variations like “Round her neck she wear a yellow ribbon”. The devotion to St Ferréol in France is the same theme. He seems to be the patron saint of soldiers and their loved ones praying for their safe return home.

The relics of St Ferréol are at the Hermitage above Céret. They moved from Vienne to Moissac in the first millennium. They then moved to Céret and the hermitage in the 13th century to avoid capture and desecration by the Moors. St Ferréol is the patron saint for Céret and there is a procession to the hermitage every year on his feast day, 18 September.

There are other St Ferréols listed, people like the Bishop of Uzez famous for forced conversion of Jews, a Bishop of Limouge in 592, a martyr in Besancon in 212, etc. Fine people perhaps but the real dude, the center of the cult, is the St Ferréol of the Hermitage above Céret. His name appropriately translates to St Ironwood in English.

There is an attractive sundial on the front of the hermitage, aded in 2004 after our visit.

*They say there are three rivers that meet at Lyon: The Rhone, the Saone and the Beaujolais. I have escaped by swimming the Beaujolais.

Building Materials: Stone

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