This article examines the main monuments, both well-known and lesser-known, associated with religious-military orders in Umbria, particularly the Templars and the Hospitallers of St. John (later the Knights of Rhodes and Malta), offering considerations that explore aspects of their decorative motifs. For the Magione Commandery of the Order of St. John (now known as the Castle of the Knights of Malta), details of previously unreproduced decorative motifs in the Chapel, part of the earliest pictorial apparatus, which we propose dates back to the 13th century. Moreover, we hypothesize a close connection between a fresco depicting the "Mass of St. Gregory" (XV sec) and the associated cult of relics, likely also addressed to pilgrims. Further developments concern the pictorial apparatus of the Templar preceptories of San Bevignate and San Giustino "de Arno," both of which later passed to the Hospitallers (by then already known as the Knights of Rhodes), and the architecture of the domus of San Benedetto "de Cupa" in Perugia, where the Hospitallers of San Giovanni settled around 1260. Finally, some recent research on the Templars and Hospitallers in southern Umbria is presented, particularly in relation to the sites of Orvieto and Acquasparta.
Gli Ordini religioso-militari in Umbria: note sul patrimonio monumentale Il contributo prende in esame i principali monumenti, noti e meno noti, collegati agli ordini religioso-militari in Umbria, in particolare Templari e Ospedalieri di San Giovanni (poi Cavalieri di Rodi e di Malta), proponendo considerazioni che ne riprendono e approfondiscono aspetti dell’apparato decorativo. Per la commenda di Magione dell’Ordine di San Giovanni (oggi nota come Castello dei Cavalieri di Malta), si pubblicano alcuni dettagli di motivi decorativi praticamente inediti, parte del più antico apparato pittorico, probabilmente del XIII secolo; inoltre si ipotizza uno stretto rapporto tra un affresco con la “Messa di San Gregorio” e il culto delle reliquie ad esso collegato, probabilmente rivolto anche ai pellegrini. Ulteriori novità riguardano l’apparato pittorico delle precettorie templari di San Bevignate e San Giustino “de Arno”, entrambe passate poi agli Ospedalieri (ormai già detti Cavalieri di Rodi) e l’architettura della domus di San Benedetto “de Cupa” a Perugia, dove gli Ospedalieri di San Giovanni si insediarono attorno al 1260. Si dà infine conto di alcune ricerche recenti sui Templari e Ospedalieri in Umbria meridionale, in relazione ai siti di Orvieto e Acquasparta in particolare.
Mirko Santanicchia Ordini militari in Umbria: storia e presenze monumentali, in Gli Ordini militari e ospedalieri in Italia: stato della ricerca storica e artistica 1° Simposio (Sorrento 15-16 marzo 2025), a cura di F. D’Avenia, L. Michele de Palma, K. Toomaspoeg, Taranto 2026, pp. 145-170
MIRKO SANTANICCHIA
2026
Abstract
This article examines the main monuments, both well-known and lesser-known, associated with religious-military orders in Umbria, particularly the Templars and the Hospitallers of St. John (later the Knights of Rhodes and Malta), offering considerations that explore aspects of their decorative motifs. For the Magione Commandery of the Order of St. John (now known as the Castle of the Knights of Malta), details of previously unreproduced decorative motifs in the Chapel, part of the earliest pictorial apparatus, which we propose dates back to the 13th century. Moreover, we hypothesize a close connection between a fresco depicting the "Mass of St. Gregory" (XV sec) and the associated cult of relics, likely also addressed to pilgrims. Further developments concern the pictorial apparatus of the Templar preceptories of San Bevignate and San Giustino "de Arno," both of which later passed to the Hospitallers (by then already known as the Knights of Rhodes), and the architecture of the domus of San Benedetto "de Cupa" in Perugia, where the Hospitallers of San Giovanni settled around 1260. Finally, some recent research on the Templars and Hospitallers in southern Umbria is presented, particularly in relation to the sites of Orvieto and Acquasparta.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
