news, sites, and pages of interest about hermits and solitude
Fr. Basili Girbau, the Spanish hermit profiled in two Hermitary articles, is represented in Viquipedia, the Catalan-language version of the English-language Wikipedia. The Catalan source includes a bibliographical reference to the Hermitary article titled “‘Disillusionment is Positive’: Conversation with Basili Girbau, hermit of Montserrat.”
URL (Catalan): https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basili_Girbau_i_Permanyer; Hermitary article: https://hermitary.com/articles/interview.html.
Two local articles summarize the life of John Kergan, a hermit of British Columbia (Canada): “Alone and in peace: the fascinating, forgotten tale of Trial Island’s hermit” (Saanich News, BC) and “John Kergan, Hermit of Trial Island” (T.W. Paterson’s blog on British Columbia history).
The Saanich News item compares Kergan — who thrived in the late nineteenth century — to the late island hermit of Sardinia, Mauro Morandi.
From Paterson’s article: “Kergan seemed to have but one desire in life: to live by himself without interruption or the amenities of civilization. Just offshore of Victoria, on Trial Island, then uninhabited but for seabirds, seals, mink and occasional picnickers, he constructed a crude shelter of driftwood. He was almost totally self-sufficient; with a home-made forge, and rip-saw powered by a windmill of driftwood, he built boats. His salt also was provided by the sea and wild berries on the island were picked for jam, clams were smoked.”
URLs: Saanich: https://www.saanichnews.com/community/alone-and-in-peace-the-fascinating-forgotten-tale-of-trial-islands-hermit-7827060; Paterson: https://twpaterson.com/john-kergan-hermit-of-trial-island/
The Collector, website for history and humanities, offers an essay by Thomas Amey titled “The Beguines: The Hermits Who Became Medieval Celebrities.” The essay focuses on three prominent women: Marie D’Oignies, Yvette de Huy, and Christina Mirabilis, with a summary of the Church’s response and the Beguine legacy.
URL: https://cdn.thecollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/benguines-hermits-medieval-celebrity
An article for JSTOR Daily by Amanda Soth is titled “Wild Saints and Holy Fools,” on the extraordinary and eccentric lives and sayings of the Christian desert hermits.
A short piece in the Spanish magazine Sur (in English) titled “The story of a hermit community that lived in the monastery of Villanueva de Algaidas,” in the Spanish province of Malaga.