St. Gall and the Bear

Circa 1450
Manuscript illustration
St. Gall an der Steinach, Switzerland

On the left is the deacon Hiltibod, St. Gall's companion on his journey to the place now called St. Gall. The saint is in the center, handing some bread to a bear that had been attracted to the remains of the men's dinner. In the foreground is the fire to which the bear had obligingly added a log. Gall is telling the bear "in the name of my Lord Jesus" that it is free to wander in the surrounding hills, but not at this particular spot.

In the legend Gall had been praying at a cross from which he had hung a satchel of relics; the satchel is pictured here, but it hangs from a walking staff.

Read more about images of St. Gall.

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Source: Adrian Michael via this page at Wikimedia Commons.