Ermitage de Saint-Ferréol, Pre-Romanesque church in Céret, France
The Ermitage de Saint-Ferréol, also called Sant Ferriol, stands at 301 m on an Aspres hill about 4 km from Céret. The chapel has a single nave, a bell gable with one bell, and a pale facade bearing a sundial inscribed "Ultiman Time", repainted in 2004. Auxiliary buildings for pilgrims were added in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Benedictine monks from Arles-sur-Tech abbey built this religious retreat at the end of the 13th century. The structures underwent major renovation between 1772 and 1775.
Saint Ferréol is co-patron of Céret, and on 18 September, the town's Festa Major, residents walk up to the hermitage for an aplec: a dawn procession and mass, the display of relics kept in 18th-century bust-shaped reliquaries, then sardanes and a picnic on the site. The chapel holds ex-votos left in thanks for favours attributed to the saint.
The hermitage stands at 301 m on a hill of the Aspres, about 4 km from Céret. A vicinal road of roughly 1 km branches off the D615 between Céret and the Col de Llauro; the final stretch is a path, so access on foot is usual. The site offers views from the coast to the Canigou massif.
The sundial on the facade carries the inscription "Ultiman Time" and was repainted in 2004. The roof restoration reproduced the decorative elements with their dates, such as 1721 and 1722.
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