San Fortunato Church Neighborhood

Todi, Perugia/Umbria, Italy

Visited November 2007

Let's visit a few of San Fortunato's neighbors that cling to the higher (about 1350' above sea level) of the two hills that make up medieval Todi. San Fortunato holds the east end of the ridge where the Romans and the first Christians in town lived in an area called the capitol. At the west end stood the monastery of San Leucio which the Franciscans arch-rivals, the Dominicans, bought in 1236 -- nearly 6 decades before the Franciscans replaced the Vallumbrosan Benedictine church of San Fortunato with the present structure.

The aged Rocca

In the 14th century, this religious ridge underwent serious modification as the papacy approached the end of its stay in Avignon, France.^[160] In 1373, the San Leucio monastery was torn down and the western portion of the ridge became a fort (Rocca). As seen in the picture above, fortifying the steep hill west of San Fortunato is medieval defense tower (Mastio) -- or what's left of it. Pope Gregory XI had it built in 1373. The Todi-ites tore it down a few years later but the mercenary leader (condottiere) Braccio Fortebraccio rebuilt it in 1423. Popes, anti-popes, and mercenaries were all fighting over Umbria at the time -- and trying to hold onto their gains. Eventually Fortebraccio defeated Pope Martin V and became lord of most of Umbria including Todi.

Today it's a peaceful park we usually found empty in the November sun.

Convent Wisdom

Attached to the church of San Fortunato is its cloister where Jacapone once lived. This 15th century building is now a secondary school specializing in the Classics and called "Jacapone da Todi."

The Prison of San Cassiano

Just behind San Fortunato's is the Prison of Saint Cassiano where this bishop was kept and eventually murdered in 304 AD. At that time, Italy was run by those pagan Romans, who later used the building as a reservoir.^[38]

Again we see the eagle of Todi displayed on the prison wall -- obviously added much later.

The Lions Pair

A park stretches out beneath San Fortunato on the west as the hill descends steeply. A pleasant park stretches down the hill including a stairs called the Promenade of La Rocca guarded by two sleeping lions.