The founding of Basiliska by anti-Anselmite monks in the year 1111

The city of Basiliska was founded in the year 1111 by rogue Benedictine monks who had broken with Anselm of Canterbury over the ontological argument for the existence of God. When these monks-errant arrived at a bluff above the Rain River, they found an ancient basilisk there, which Bede had mentioned centuries earlier, and cast it down into the waters below. To honor the always shoeless monster, they built their city, Basiliska, around a fortress on the bluff. Inside, they built their cathedral and monastery, where they also went shoeless. Centuries later, the city of Basel on the Rhine River is still known for its Monster Cathedral and its Barefoot Square. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 24 March 2025)