Convent of the Barnabite Fathers - Convent of the Barnabite Fathers - Campello su Clitunno

Panoramic view of the Barnabite convent with Campello Alto perched on the hill behind it, surrounded by olive groves and woods

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Convent of the Barnabite Fathers

Located on the western slope of the hill that hosts the medieval fortress of Campello Alto, in an area once called Adualis, lies a place of silence and spirituality: the Convent of the Barnabite Fathers.

The building still preserves today the solemnity of its medieval forms. Its current name represents only the last chapter of a long and complex history: in fact, the complex originated in the 17th century from the fusion of two pre-existing cloistered monasteries, dedicated respectively to Saint Peter and to Saint John the Baptist.

For centuries, however, the earliest origins and events of this place remained shrouded in obscurity, passed down only through fragments and local legends. Only at the end of the 20th century did a series of archival discoveries allow its most remote history to emerge once again.

The rediscovery of the monastic archives

At the end of the 20th century, Barnabite Father Giuseppe Cagni brought to light a small but precious group of around fifty parchments, originating from the ancient monastery of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Peter and transferred to Spoleto after the suppression of the order. This discovery marked the beginning of the historical reconstruction of the monastic complex of Campello.

Subsequently, the discovery of two 18th-century inventories in the Diocesan Historical Archives of Spoleto revealed the existence of an originally much larger archive, rich in documents now lost.

In particular, the second inventory — a detailed list of numerous documents of great historical relevance, many of which no longer exist — made it possible to reconstruct the history and events of the monasteries of Campello.

Convent of the Barnabite Fathers

Convent of the Barnabite Fathers – Bell Tower

Cloister with stone arches, central courtyard with fountain, and potted plants

Convent of the Barnabite Fathers – Cloister

Baroque nave with main altar, white stucco decorations, and side paintings

Convent of the Barnabite Fathers – Church Interior

Medieval fresco with Nativity and Crucifixion scenes, with saints and angels depicted in overlapping panels

Convent of the Barnabites – Crucifixion

Before the monastery of Saint Peter: the short life of Santa Croce

The oldest document mentioned in the 18th-century inventories is a bull issued by Gregory IX on 22 June 1228, granting certain privileges to the Chapter of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. The brief text does not explicitly mention any place, but its presence may represent an institutional premise, linked to the role of the Chapter of Saint Peter in the Vatican, upon which the religious foundations of the 14th century would depend.

On 3 May 1326, the Chapter of Saint Peter granted, at the request of the Augustinian friar Gentile da Foligno and other religious (including the Campello natives Fra Pace and Consolo), authorization to found a monastery under the Augustinian rule, dedicated to Santa Croce, in the territory of Campello, in an area called Seianum or Sterleta.

The land and buildings had been donated to the Vatican Basilica by Vitale Petroni of Trevi, who granted indulgences to those who supported the construction of the monastery.

Thus, the earliest known foundation in Campello is linked to a community of monks that soon disappeared from the sources: no later document confirms its continuity, and the monastery likely had a very short life.

The Monastery of Saint Peter and the separation initiated by Agnesuccia di Lorenzo

A few decades after the foundation of Santa Croce, the monastery of Saint Peter was established, built by Fra Pace di Morichitto da Campello with authorization from the Chapter of Saint Peter in the Vatican (1330–1332).

The monastery prospered thanks to numerous donations, including that of Lorenzo di Nicola (1385), who left lands between Poreta and Bazzano, perhaps connected to the entry of his daughter Agnesuccia into the monastic community.

In 1397, Lorenzo di Nicola named her his sole heir, while she was still part of the community of Saint Peter. Three years later, Agnesuccia obtained from Pope Boniface IX authorization to found in her father’s house a new monastery dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, where she could retire with three fellow nuns, still under the Benedictine rule. The foundation was confirmed the following year by the Bishop of Spoleto, who granted a special indulgence to those who contributed to its construction.

Although the reasons for her departure remain unclear, the cause must be sought in her claim to her paternal inheritance, which the nuns of Saint Peter firmly opposed.

The disputes over the paternal inheritance were resolved in 1403, with the restitution of the lands to Saint Peter, while Agnesuccia retained her father’s house — now transformed into the Convent of Saint John the Baptist, where she became abbess — and the adjoining land designated to become its cloister.

Later events and the unification of the two monasteries

After Agnesuccia’s departure, the monastery of Saint Peter went through difficult years: in 1407 it entered into conflict with the Bishop of Spoleto over fiscal issues related to donated lands, which the nuns had to redeem by paying 35 gold florins. From this moment onward, a slow decline began, with an ever-decreasing number of religious; in 1479, the election of Abbess Santuccia took place in the presence of only three nuns.

By contrast, the monastery of Saint John the Baptist enjoyed a long period of prosperity. Thanks to the wise administration of Abbess Agnesuccia — who led the congregation at least until 1450 — and the support of numerous benefactors, it grew rapidly in both wealth and vocations. Papal favor also helped reinforce its prestige, including in disputes with the inhabitants of Campello.
Between the late 15th and 16th centuries, information becomes scarce due to the loss of many documents, but in 1585 the commissioner Giovanni Battista Corrado, entrusted by the Chapter of Saint Peter with collecting rents from Umbria, found a situation of imbalance: while the convent of Saint John the Baptist housed fourteen nuns, that of Saint Peter counted only ten, forced to live in extreme poverty.

Thus, in 1604, the Bishop of Spoleto decided to unite the two monasteries under the dual dedication to Saints John the Baptist and Peter, creating a single complex and, four years later, a new church.

Suppressed in 1810, the monastery was purchased in 1935 by the Congregation of the Barnabite Fathers, who transformed it into a residence for their theology students. It was later restored after the 1997 earthquake and reopened as a House of Hospitality and Prayer.

Architectural structure of the two convents united by the 1604 church

The oldest part of the complex corresponds to the monastery dedicated to Saint Peter, of which the original entrance with its local stone portal is preserved. At its far end stands the church dedicated to Saint Mary of the Angels, as indicated by some of the surviving frescoes inside.

The church of the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist had its altar placed against the wall where the fresco of the Crucifix is now located, and extended into a room adjacent to the staircase leading to the upper floor, where traces of frescoes are still preserved.

Long and irregular corridors connect the two original buildings, architecturally and spiritually united also through the church built in 1608 on the land situated between the two monasteries.
Inside, the Baroque high altar preserves a canvas depicting the Adoration of the Magi, the work of a 17th-century Tuscan painter, while the two side altars display, on the right, a painting with Saint Helena, Saint Charles, and Saint Anthony, and on the left, a Madonna and Child with Saint Philip Neri, both executed in the 18th century.

The complex also preserves interesting medieval and Renaissance artworks, including a Crucifixion by the Master of Fossa, flanked by two angels and four saints below, surmounted by a Nativity and another fresco depicting the Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.

The complex also preserves several important frescoes, such as one depicting the Madonna enthroned with the Child, attributed to the Master of Eggi, and another showing the Madonna sheltering under her mantle several nuns and Saint Francis, attributed to Lo Spagna.