Hermit from Palermo. Isravele

Not much is known about his life. He was born in the early 1950’s, had a job as a mason, worked in Palermo and was a deeply religious man.

He told a reporter who visited him, that in 1985 he had a dream that changed his life, convinced as he became by that dream that he had to be a prophet with the mission to save people’s souls.

After that dream he continued his job, adressing his colleagues with religious insights, and then, in 1997 he left wife and children, to restart his life as a hermit, first living in a cave in the seaside rocks in the Capo Gallo natural area. Later he squatted the no longer used and abandoned semaphore building in the same area.

In the course of the years Isravele has decorated this building in such a way, that it has become kind of a sanctuary.

He signposted the road uphill to this sanctuary with small decorations, painted or made from pebbles, and mostly depicting a heart, suggesting this path is a Via Santa.

The interior of the building has been lavishly decorated. The walls are geometrically divided into compartments, each of which is decorated with a large item, such as a portrait or a mosaic representation, surrounded by smaller items like stars, crosses or other signs.

 

To make his decorations Isravele uses small pebbles, he collects on the beaches. He makes great use of the hexagram and other religious symbols.

It is noteworthy that there are no religious texts and inscriptions on the walls, except one above a clock reading ALLELUIAMEN. The appearance of the interior is rather quite, orderly and understated.

Outside, however, there is an inscripted text about the End of Times, the return of Gods kingdom, which will be accompanied by great destructions.

Isravele is a shy person. A visitor who met him in 2010, has described him as a good looking man with dark, greying hair and a bushy greying beard, adding:  “He’s articulate, and enthusiastic when talking about God”.

 

Isravele, however, is not eager at all to meet visitors, rather avoids them and he doesn’t appear in the video’s below. One may wonder if he agreed that the videos were recorded.

 

However, if a visit is pre-arranged by people or organisations he trusts, Isravele will welcome (small) groups of interested people.

 

 

Religious Tourism

• outsider-environments.blogspot.com
• lesgrigrisdesophie.blogspot.com
• costruttoridibabele.net
• outsidart.com
• francescoinviaggio.it
• imgrum.net/tag/Isravele

---

Booking of hotels and apartments in Palermo