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The living quarters and houses
of the community
THE HOUSING OF RELIGIOUS
COMMUNITIES
The religious communities, a group of
men or women who freely decided to spend there existence in a religious
community following written ordinations were at one time numerous
in Cortona. Those who supported a religious ideal in the first millenium
were organized by the rules of Benedetto (Benedict) di Norcia (480-547)
and his successive reformers San Nilo (910-1004) and San Rumualdo
(952-1072), the followers of the latter took the name of the Camaldolesi.
In the second millenium the religious "Community" organized
itself mainly by the Benedictine rules which were reformed by San
Bernardo (St. Bernard 1090-1153), the Cistercians, and the 1255
unified rules of Sant' Agostino (St. Augustine), the Augustines,
but overall the rules of San Francesco (St. Francis 1180-1226),
the Franciscans and San Domenico (St. Domenic 1170-1221), the Domenicans.
The nuns of the Franciscan comunity of Santa Chiara (St. Claire)
called themselves the Clarisse (the Claires). In 1500 the Franciscans
organized themselves into three oreders, the minors, the conventuals
and the Capuchins. Today the "Communities" are modest
in size and number. Their houses remain however, many oversized
in respect to their needs, architecturally rich some modest, they
are however still interesting from a historical and artistic point
of view. Here are some to be noted:
(XIII Century) MONASTERY OF SAINT FRANCIS
Constructed by Brother Elias who died there on April 22, 1253. Of
the most ancient parts of the church remain an oratory, a meeting
room (capitular) and the sacresty of the adjacent church of San
Francesco. Of the meeting room the remains of two bifora windows
are visible. The monastery was arranged around a thirteenth century
or previously built courtyard, the traces of which can still be
seen on the side of the church and the oldest part of the monastery.
The portico of this courtyard was demolished in 1896 after the suppression
of the monastery by order of the Italian government of 1866.
It is managed by the Conventual Franciscans like the holy monastery
of Assisi.
 (XIII
century) LE SANTUCCE
It was constructed as was the monastery of Santa Maria Maddalena
in about 1270 by the Benedictine nun Beata Santuccia of Gubbio who
died in 1305. The complex is comprised of structures from the 1200's,
1500's and 1600's and is picturesquely placed along with the church.
Now in a noticeable state of abandon, the refectory is covered by
half moon vaulted ceilings. Today it is the home for the elderly
in need of rest and care.
(XIII secolo) THE CONVENT OF THE POOR CLAIRS
Margherita the refugee from Laviano, after entering the city through
Porta Berarda in 1272, took shelter in this house which was donated
to her by the noblewomen Marinara and Raniera De Moscari. Today
a private home, it once housed the community of the Francescan Terzieri
who were popularly know as "The Poor Claires". It is from
here that she takes part in the material and spiritual reconstruction
of the city which had been destroyed during the sack of 1258. Among
the ruins to which the Cortonese had returned in 1263, Margherita
took care of the poor and the infirmed, giving life to the "Confraternità
di Santa Maria della Misericordia " (The Sisters of Mercy).
After the death of the saint the convent was restructured and expanded
on. It continued to be a land holding of the Franciscan orders until
1808 when it was suppressed under Napoleone. Since 1917 it has been
home to the "Sisters of the poor of Sister Savina Petrilli".
At the interior is the legendary room of Margherita can be seen
along with two medieval wells which were excavated from the mass.
There is an interesting church dedicated to St. Jerome, a Baroque
work from the second half of the seventeenth century. On the main
altar is a painting from 1659 which portrays the Madonna and Saints
by Pietro Berrettini. Among these saints is Santa Martina, to whom
Berrettini was especially devout and to who he would erect one of
his most beautiful churches in Rome. The painting was finished with
the collaboration of Lorenzo Berrettini.
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