Viterbo – Tomorrow in the church of Saints Faustino and Giovita a solemn Eucharistic liturgy presided over by Bishop Piazza
Viterbo – We receive and publish – The thousand-year-old links between the city of Viterbo and the vast surrounding territory with the Order of St. John of Jerusalem date back over seven centuries ago, when the first “domus hospitalis” of the monk-knights spread across Europe, including the Viterbo area.
In Viterbo, known as the city of the Popes, four commanderies – Santa Lucia, Santa Maria in Carbonara, Santa Maria in Risiere and the saints Giovanni and Vittore – together with others present in Tuscia, tell a story rich in “charitas” which brought deserved recognition to the Order. We cannot forget how it was Pope Paschal II, according to a certain tradition born in Blera in the heritage of San Pietro, who issued the bull “Piae Postulatio” directed to the blessed founder Gerard in 1113, with which the church recognized the Order of Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem.
The presence of the Giovanniti knights in Viterbo during those years was therefore fundamental for the city, guaranteeing protection and support during moments of great difficulty. The decision to convene the general chapter in Viterbo demonstrates the strategic importance that the city had for the Order, allowing it to face the challenges and crucial issues that concerned the life of the Order itself.
The relics brought from Rhodes and kept in the Collegiate Church of Saints Faustino and Giovita represented an important link with the history and tradition of the Order, and the burial of the Brothers who died during those years testified to the sacrifice and commitment of the Knights in the service of others.
This part of the history of the Giovanniti knights in Viterbo highlights the significant role that the Order had in the historical context of the city and the deep devotion to the Madonna della Quercia, consolidating the bond between the knights and the Marian sanctuary which still today represents an important place of worship and pilgrimage.
When the grand master Philippe of Villiers definitively left Viterbo, as a sign of affection and gratitude towards the city that had generously hosted him, and so that an indissoluble bond with his Order would remain forever, he donated the precious icon to the church of the Holy Order of the Madonna of Constantinople who is still venerated in that temple, in the chapel of the Knights of Malta, at the end of the left nave. Furthermore, in 1665, the canons of that same temple received another certificate of the merit of the Order which, under the grand master Nicola Cotoner, extended to them all the indulgences and privileges enjoyed by the Order itself.
The image of the Madonna of Constantinople was solemnly crowned on 10 May 1964 by the cardinalis Patronus Paolo Giobbe, Datary of SRC, in the presence of the prince and grand master of the sovereign military Order of Malta Fra’ Angelo de Mojana of Cologna, of the archbishop- bishop Adelchi Albanesi and the city authorities.
Finally, marking the 60th anniversary, in conjunction with the celebrations for the five hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the Giovanniti in Viterbo, Orazio Francesco Piazza, diocesan bishop, will preside over a solemn Eucharistic liturgy tomorrow 10 May in the church of Saints Faustino and Giovita, then proceeding to a new coronation of the Madonna of Constantinople.
Marco Metelli
Communications Manager of the Order of Malta Italy Viterbo – Rieti Delegation
May 9, 2024
