Located amid the green of olive groves, with a panoramic view that embraces the entire valley from Perugia to Todi, the Convent of Santa Maria della Spineta is a place of silence ideal for those wanting a spiritual experience away from the noise of the city.

History of the Convent

The Convent has a very old history dating back to the 11th century. It was also during this period that the first hermitage was built, which according to tradition was also visited by San Francesco. According to ancient chronicles, the name Spineta or Spineto derives from the fact that the place was harsh, wild, and full of thorns.

In 1291 Pope Nicholas IV issued a bull naming the new convent. The document granted one year's indulgence to believers who visited the church during certain holy days. After a few years of decadence due to the black plague of 1348, came for the convent the period of great importance.

It was among the eleven Franciscan places granted by Pope Gregory XI in 1373 to the blessed Paoluccio Trinci, the founder of the Observance movement. With the money donated by the different beneficiaries, including the most generous one, Count Bernardo dei Monaldeschi di Orvieto, the convent was remodeled between the 14th and 15th centuries to include a cloister and an imposing wall that surrounded the entire complex, making it a real fortress. The convent served as a novitiate until 1927 and on 4 October 1989, it became a house of prayer and hospitality, an open-air hermitage, where guests who come from all over Italy and abroad, living a unique experience.