Belgian hermit on Austrian mountain awaits visitors with schnapps

Source: Religion News Service

Hermit Stan Vanuytrecht of Belgium prays in his private chapel of the hermitage in Saalfelden, Austria, on May 22, 2017. Photo courtesy of Reuters/Leonhard Foeger Hermit Stan Vanuytrecht of Belgium prays in his private chapel of the hermitage in Saalfelden, Austria, on May 22, 2017. Photo courtesy of Reuters/Leonhard Foeger
    

A 58-year-old former surveying technician from Belgium has taken up his new post as the official hermit of Saalfelden, living in a hut-sized chapel built into a cliff in the mountains of western Austria.

Stan Vanuytrecht was one of about 70 candidates from the United States, India, Australia and several other countries who applied for the unpaid position at one of Europe’s last hermitages.

The job advertisement specified the candidate must be at peace with oneself” and “a connection to Christian belief.”

Vanuytrech, who speaks fluent German, is a Catholic deacon who went through a period of poverty following a divorce, an experience he said helped prepare him for his new job.

The 350-year-old Roman Catholic hermitage, in the province of Salzburg, has no power, no running water and no heat. But it does have stunning views of a snow-covered glacier.

Read the rest here.

Religion News Service

6/10/2017

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Comments
Alex6/15/2017 3:03 am
I also don't understand what this article has to do with Orthodox Christianity?
James6/10/2017 4:59 pm
Anthony, please don't be a reviler and don't hinder the work of a genuine lover of Christ.You should speak with love of your neighbour, not division. The Lord is no lover of rules and regulations. He scolded the Pharisees for tieing peoples hands with their stifling rules and regulations. James, A broter in Christ.
Anthony6/10/2017 2:08 pm
Hiya! Could I possibly question what this has to do with Orthodoxy? Yoddleloodelooooooo.

Or is this Pravoslavie's underhanded attempt to ''bring some unity'' and mix that which cannot be mixed.
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