CULTURE
A magical monastery
Il Convento Fratti Cappuccini is a Franciscan monastery set on the slopes of Monte Sant Egidio, over the Vignone River just outside Cortona, Tuscany. Saint Francis of Assisi had the monastery built c 1211 and it was the first of many religious houses he founded.
T
he buildings are immaculate. The grounds are well kept and there are delightful gardens and paths to wander along and enjoy the tranquillity of the surroundings. The river upon which the monastery was founded carves it’s way spectacularly through the rock, allowing for a beautiful bridge to cross the chasm to the sanctuary. You can still see the tiny cell belonging to St. Francis.
A mere 1.8 by 2.5 metres and only 1.9 meters high, the cell has a tiny window, the bed on which St Francis
56 | THE TUSCAN MAGAZINE
reputedly slept and his desk and painting of the Madonna and Child in front of which he used to pray. The Hermitage certainly has an atmosphere which
invokes spirituality and peace yet it is vibrant with religious life. There are ‘prayer schools’ and retreats for young people in summer so that they learn the Franciscan way of life. Francis was one of several children of a wealthy cloth
merchant from Assisi and a noble Frenchwoman from Provence. In his early life Francis was a typical rich youth,
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68