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Image caption

shows illustrations of just a few of the special locations with a long Michaelic traditions and known for their special spiritual energies:

• upper left: Mont Saint-Michel (France) - dating back to the 8th century, with Benedictine abbey as of the 10th century
• upper right: Saint Michael’s Mount (England) - with legend of 8th century and Benedictine priority as of 11th century
• lower left: Skellig Michael (Ireland) - isolated island off the Irish coast, with 6th-century monastery
• lower right: Sacra di San Michele (Italy) - near Turin, with abbey from the 10th century

Other examples are Sanctuario di San Michele Arcangelo, a cave in Monte Sant'Angelo (Italy) pilgrimage destination since the 5th century, the small but beautiful San Michele Arcangelo in Perugia (Italy) dating back to 5th or 6th century, or the Meteora monasteries in Greece.

Note: the Irish island reminds of the more northern Scottisch Isles of Iona (with important monasteries going back to 6th century or before) and Staffa (the ancient initiation site Fingal's cave) - for more information see topic page Hibernian Mysteries. For the link between Ireland and Scotland and the Christianization of Europe, see Central European cultural basin where Rudolf Steiner describes how Iro-Scottish monks such as a.o. Patrick, Columban, and Gallus spread Christianity in Europe in the 5th-6th centuries.

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