If we trace the history of Cap Ferrat back to ancient times, we discover an older tale of even greater significance. The legend of St Hospitius dates from around 550 AD, and gives the point of the peninsula its other name – Cap-Saint-Hospice.
Hospitius was an Egyptian monk who moved to Gaul, as it was then known, and lived on the peninsula in a dilapidated tower by the sea (on a site now occupied by one of our villas, Cuccia Noya).
He maintained a grim, unforgiving lifestyle, surviving only on dry bread and dates. He was reputed to wear heavy iron chains on his wrists and ankles, as a self-imposed penance for his worldly sins.
When Cap Ferrat was beset by a force of marauding Lombards (a Germanic people who ruled much of Italy during the 6th century), the invaders observed Hospitius’s chains and mistook him for a criminal. When questioned, he freely confessed to a variety of crimes, including murder.
According to legend, when a Lombard drew back his arm, raising his sword to dispense justice upon poor Hospitius, the Lombard’s arm remained frozen in place, as if by divine intervention. The Lombard and his comrades dropped their weapons, begging God for forgiveness. Some converted to Christianity, some fled back to Italy, while some apparently died on the spot !
Hospitius, renowned for his preaching and his miraculous healing powers, was canonized after his death in the year 580 AD. He was buried in Nice, where a variety of relics (including some of his bones) can be viewed at the Cathedral and other churches in the region. The picturesque St. Hospitius church and cemetery remain at the tip of the peninsula, where St. Hospitius apparently lived.
Source: "Le temps retrouvé", Didier Gayrud (original French text)