Ancient Hands

This ancient piece of pottery was found at the beautiful 8th Century San Pietro Abbey just outside Terni in Italy. The legend tells the story of two hermits named John and Lazarus who came to the Spoleto region with 300 others from Syria. Here they built a hermitage which became a place of worship for the local people. Later on, Faroaldo II, saw a vision of St. Peter in a dream who ordered him to build a church in his honour. Whilst hunting in the Valnerina region he spotted the place where the little oratory built by John and Lazarus had been erected, and decided it was the ideal place to build the church dedicated to St. Peter and the Monastery, which adopted the Benedictine rule. The simplistic appearance of the vessel fails to give a true impression of the fine workmanship that brought the piece into being. This fine art image can be yours in several sizes to suit your interior design as canvas wall art, acrylic mounted print or poster art. Photography by Jason Wickens.