EX CONVENT OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

THE HISTORY

Ancient engravings of Montefiascone, dating back to the 16th century, testify that at that time the complex already existed. It has been said that Martin Lutero in 1511 on occasion on his travel to Rome, was hosted by the Augustinians in this convent. Rearranged in 1638, the entire building with the attached church of St. Augustine dedicated to Saint Annunziata, was abandoned from the order in the early years of the 19th century. Purchased privately, the complex over time was profoundly transformed. In 1925 it was an old church on the above floor. In 1979 interventions of restoration interested the ancient church, the chapel of Saint Maria of the plague and part of the cloister.

DESCRIPTION

The complex today is almost completely renovated by various owners.Two things that have survived are the apse of the chapel, which can be seen from the outside, and the 14th century gate, which amply illustrates the Virgin Mary on the left with the lamb in the center, and the eagle that bears the gospel of Giovanni on the right. Inside the chapel there are still traces of frescoes made in 1506 by the painter Giovan Francesco d’Avanzarano, called the Fantastic and by another painter nicknamed the Deaf.
The scene of the fresco of the apse at  the bottom wall are almost non- recognizable, they distinguish just two figures in framed images on the right the Archangel Gabriel and on the left the Virgin Mary; according to art historians as we are not sure. There are also statues of angels surrounding the arch of the apse while on the side of the arch there are two statues representing Saint Rocco on the right and Saint Sebastian on the left. On one wall there are fragments of frescoes illustrating a group of musical angels and on another wall it illustrates The Coming of the Magi (the three kings).  On the opposite wall architectural scenes and figures are difficult to identify because of the fragmented nature of the paintings. Other paintings are visible inside the church and the halls of the cloisters.

Ex Convent of Saint Augustine. Montefiascone, Viterbo – Italy
Translated by Connie Cheung, University of Iowa, currently enrolled in the USAC Viterbo program at Università degli Studi della Tuscia.

ESSENTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

L. Salotti – L. Codini, Montefiascone nella storia e nell’arte, Grotte di Castro 1909.
L. Antonelli, Il Fantastico a Montefiascone, in Per l’inaugurazione del Museo Civico a Viterbo, Viterbo 1912, pp. 52-54.
G. Breccola – M. Mari, Montefiascone, Grotte di Castro 1979.
R. Cordovani, Affreschi quattrocenteschi in una chiesa adibita a magazzino: nell’ex convento degli Agostiniani di Montefiascone, «Biblioteca e Società» (1981), III, 3-4, pp. 13-14.
S. Alloisi, Giovan Francesco d’Avanzarano detto Il Fantastico, in Il Quattrocento a Viterbo, Roma 1983, catalogo della mostra, Viterbo 1982, pp. 247-261.
C. Sensi, Montefiascone medievale. Gli edifici del centro storico, tesi di laurea, Università degli Studi della Tuscia di Viterbo, A.A. 1996-1997.
G. Breccola, Altre emergenze in Montefiascone. Emozioni storie e colori, vol. II, Viterbo 2000, pp. 111-116.
F. Ricci, Giovan Francesco d’Avanzarano detto “Il Fantastico”, «Biblioteca e Società» (2005), XXIV, 3-4, pp. 16-21.
G. Breccola, Montefiascone. Guida alla scoperta, Montefiascone 2006.
Montefiascone Artecittà – Convento di Sant’Agostino.
Montefascone città d’arte, cultura e tradizione.