The Culturist Profile picture
Sep 29, 2024 21 tweets 8 min read Read on X
Today is Michaelmas — the Christian festival honoring the Archangel Michael.

So, do you ever wonder why so many wonders across Europe bear St. Michael's name?

When you investigate why, you discover something truly strange... 🧵 Image
You know this place already — it's Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy. Sometimes known as the Wonder of the Western World.

But it turns out it has a twin, 200 miles away... Image
St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall, England.

Also a medieval chapel built on a tidal island, only accessible at low tide. Also dedicated to the archangel known for defeating Satan in the New Testament... Image
The two can be connected by drawing a line just over 200 miles long.

But what happens if you keep extending the line? Image
You get what's known as St. Michael's line. It extends from Ireland to Israel, connecting 7 medieval monasteries linked to Archangel Michael.

What are they, and is this simply a coincidence? Image
The westernmost point is the island Skellig Michael. Medieval monks came here in the 7th century, and built a church dedicated to Michael around 950 AD. Image
Next is St. Michael's Mount. A monastery was built here in the 8th century, and was later gifted to the same Benedictine order of Mont-Saint-Michel.

But local legend says the link is far older, and Michael was sighted here by fishermen in 495 AD. Image
Then, Mont-Saint-Michel in France.

People call it the 8th Wonder of the World for obvious reasons — we'll come back to this in a moment... Image
Next is Sacra di San Michele near Turin, at the peak of Mount Pirchiriano.

Also on a great pinnacle, and its origin story is a vision of St. Michael — he appeared to a hermit here in 980 AD and told him to build an abbey. Image
Next is even older: the Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo. St. Michael appeared here in 490 AD, and again in 663 — helping the Lombards defeat invaders in battle. Image
Then, a Greek island called Symi. Most of its churches are dedicated to Michael, including this in Panormitis.

It dates to 450 AD, built around a miraculous image of Michael...
Image
Image
Last is the Stella Maris Monastery in Israel — pretty close to Nazareth.

Also a vantage point overlooking a cliff, but not dedicated to St. Michael. It's where the prophet Elijah lived, built over a small grotto of his...Image
Like Michael, Elijah is often portrayed as a wielder of a sword.

And perhaps it's fitting that the line ends here, at the entrance to the Holy Land...
Image
Image
So, what is all this about?

It's what's known as a "ley line". You can draw them between all kinds of places and eventually find one. There's another relating to Michael across England... Image
But just how accurate is it?

To capture all 7 points in an arc connecting the middle and end points, the line must be about 20km wide — just a coincidence? Image
First, ask why Mont-Saint-Michel, greatest of them all, is named this way.

In 708 AD, an oratory was built here by a bishop. He said he was visited by Michael in a vision, and instructed to build a shrine on the island... Image
Why?

According to one 9th century text, it's because this was the exact point at which St. Michael defeated Satan (in the form of a dragon), as told in the New Testament... Image
That, then, is the explanation — according to some.

The line reflects the epic final stroke of St. Michael's sword that sent Satan to Hell...
Image
Image
Of course, there are plenty more medieval accounts of St. Michael appearing across Europe, and countless other sites bearing his name.

But these are the most beautiful and significant of all, arranged unbelievably in one great swing of a sword...
Image
Image
If threads like this interest you, I go deeper on this and much more in my FREE newsletter!

Over 86,000 people read it: art, history and culture 👇
culture-critic.com/welcome
And if you enjoy these breakdowns, please give the original post a retweet 🙏

And I'll keep doing more of them!

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with The Culturist

The Culturist Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @the_culturist_

Apr 20
This is where Jesus was buried — and rose from the dead.

But is it really the authentic, historical tomb?

Well, something astonishing was just found underneath it… (thread) 🧵 Image
The Gospels say Christ was buried in a rock-cut tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy disciple.

According to Matthew, Joseph "rolled a great stone across the entrance"... Image
Image
The precise location of that tomb has, unsurprisingly, been a hot matter of debate ever since.

Today, the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem claims to be the site — but is it? Image
Read 19 tweets
Apr 10
The Narnia books are deeply Christian — but as a child you probably misunderstood them entirely.

Aslan is a clear Christ figure, but it goes way beyond simple allegory.

C.S. Lewis's stories were written to profoundly awaken your imagination… (thread) 🧵 Image
You read Narnia books as a child, or had them read to you, but you likely weren't aware of their spiritual depth.

C.S. Lewis infused them with important Christian ideas, often glaringly obvious ones… Image
Edmund, a stand-in for sin, eats the Turkish Delight before betraying his siblings to the White Witch, seduced by pride.

We see the poisonous influence of the Serpent in Eden. Image
Read 20 tweets
Apr 7
This 600-year-old altarpiece might be the most complex and deeply symbolic artwork in history.

It will change what you think a painting is capable of doing — because this isn't detail for detail's sake.

Step *inside* it and you'll see why... (thread) 🧵 Image
Jan van Eyck's (and his brother Hubert's) Ghent Altarpiece was centuries ahead of its time in 1432.

When closed, it depicts the Annunciation in intentionally muted colors, anticipating what's to come... Image
Open it up, and color and light explode at you — out of the darkness comes revelation.

Everything that the Fall, prophets, and Annunciation led up to is revealed in the coming of Christ. Image
Read 19 tweets
Mar 28
Reminder: Tolkien hated Disney.

He called them "hopelessly corrupted" and knew they'd ruin any story they touched.

Why? Tolkien's storytelling philosophy was profoundly different… (thread) 🧵 Image
The Hobbit was published a few months before the Snow White movie came out in 1937.

Tolkien watched it with his friend C.S. Lewis, and later insisted that Disney *never* adapt his own works… Image
Image
Tolkien dedicated his life to the study and creation of myths and what he called "fairy-stories".

For him, age-old tales like Beowulf weren't just entertainment, but vehicles of profound truth, emerged from cultural soil over generations. Image
Image
Read 16 tweets
Mar 21
JRR Tolkien hated Dune because its ethics are fundamentally wrong.

The Lord of the Rings is a profoundly different take on Good and Evil — and how to live a moral life.

Here's why… (thread) 🧵 Image
Tolkien, in an unsent letter, said he disliked Frank Herbert's Dune "with some intensity".

Why? He didn't explain, but Dune's protagonists are directly opposed to the heroes of Middle-earth... Image
Dune, GoT and others adhere to the idea that good and bad actions are defined by their consequences.

Their characters are pragmatists, choosing the lesser of evils to forge a path they deem is good. Image
Image
Read 21 tweets
Mar 14
America built the greatest train stations ever seen — and then demolished them.

Here's what the American railway was like at its peak.

And what destroying it says about us… (thread) 🧵 Image
Right now, the US has more railway tracks than any other country (155,000+ miles).

Most of this, of course, is freight... Image
But Americans also once had the greatest passenger system in the world. Note the decline since the mid-20th century.

1962 vs. 2005: Image
Image
Read 19 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(