The word "hermitage" traces back to the French "heremite" (hermit), but has origins in the Greek words "eremites" (dwelling in the desert), "eremia" (desert) and "eremos" (solitary; desolate).
The Hermitage is the name of the home of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States. This Nashville, Tennessee, property was opened to the public as a museum in 1889.
Catherine the Great founded the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1764. It has been open to the public since 1852 and is one of the largest museums in the world.
William and Florence Sloane established the non-profit Hermitage Foundation in 1937 to promote the arts near their residence in Norfolk, Virginia. They contributed their home and opened the museum to the public in 1942.
Tain l'Hermitage, a town in the Rhône Valley in France, produces small batches of fine red and white wines, according to Snooth.com.
