Convento di San Fortunato

The Convent of San Fortunato stands on the hill associated with Montefalco's patron saint and preserves early frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli and works by Tiberio d'Assisi.

Why it matters

The convent links the early Christian history of Montefalco with the development of its Renaissance art. Gozzoli's frescoes from around 1450 are among the earliest independent works associated with the painter.

What to notice

Above the church entrance, a lunette depicts the Madonna and Child with Saints Francis and Bernardino of Siena. Fragments of a Gozzoli chapel survive inside, including an enthroned Saint Fortunatus and a music-making angel. The Cappella delle Rose, built by Tiberio d'Assisi in 1512, depicts the Portiuncula Indulgence. Reused Roman columns form part of the Renaissance portico, and frescoes have been added to the sarcophagus of Saint Severus.

Context and history

Tradition places the death of Saint Fortunatus on this hill around the end of the fourth century, and a parish church there served a network of rural churches. The site passed through the abbeys of Farfa and Sassovivo before coming under the bishops of Spoleto. Observant Franciscans received the church and land in 1444 and 1446 and developed the convent. Gozzoli's work dates to about 1450. The complex passed to the commune in 1867 and remains associated with Franciscan care.