Pope Benedict XI established a Benedictine monastery and hospice here in 1038. A Cistercian community settled here in 1265. Nothing of these earlier structures survives.
The complex passed to the Observant Franciscans in 1429 and they rebuilt the church and convent. The cloister was rebuilt in 1531.
The community was suppressed after the unification of Italy in 1860, after which the complex housed an agricultural business. It is currently (May 2008) undergoing a major restoration that will convert it into a hotel and conference centre.
Art from the Church
Frescoes (ca. 1499)
These frescoes from the church, which were rediscovered in 1901 and attributed to Antonio da Viterbo, il Pastura, depict:
-
✴St Bernardino in Glory with SS Paul, Louis of Toulouse, Antony of Padua and Peter; and
-
✴the Madonna and Child enthroned with SS Augustine, Jerome, John the Evangelist and an unidentified saint.
[Where are they now ??]
