The History of the Church through 100 Masterpieces

The Period of the Hermits

The History of the Church 44 The Period of the Hermits “At that time, the desert was populated by anchorites.” This slightly ironic remark by Anatole France describes a reality of the beginnings of Christianity. Following the example of Christ, who would withdraw into the desert to pray, the first Christians, prompted by their religious fervor, took to the arid solitudes east of the Jordan or the deserts of Egypt, particularly in the environs of the city of Thebes, where they formed their communities, the thebaides. Many exemplary figures, such as Saint Antony and Saint Jerome, chose this path, and it was said that even the devil himself ended following the same way: “The devil was very elderly when he became a hermit,” quips Alfred de Musset. The eremitical life was not restricted to men. Holy women who lived in solitude were likewise offered as examples to edify the faithful . The first of these was Mary Magdalene, who, tradition has it, retired to a cave in Provence, France. But another Mary was equally popular—Mary of Egypt, a prostitute of Alexandria who converted during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and spent 27 years in the Jordan desert. From being the theme of sermons, hermits naturally passed on to adorning church frescoes, and then to the artist’s canvas. Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652) Mary of Egypt Museo del Prado, Madrid ...