Wild Forms: Hermits and Medieval Rock Art

Medieval hermits sometimes chose to live in caves situated in rocky or wilderness settings. As well as being a practical solution to the need to find shelter in inhospitable places, this reflected their desire to withdraw from human affairs and to become one with nature. The caves that hermits inhabited were often adorned with images carved directly into the living rock. This talk sheds light on extant examples of the phenomenon in central and northern England. Filtering these understudied artworks through the prism of medieval conceptions of wildness, it reveals some of the unexpected ways in which art and nature were intertwined in the period.

Image: Crucifixion. Relief carving in Cratcliffe Rocks hermitage, Derbyshire. Photo: Robert Mills.