There is no certain information about the architectural typology of the original sanctuary, but it is presumed that it was already established as a religious complex, comprising a church and a hospital (already existing) to accommodate pilgrims. The church originally had an octagonal floor plan, with entrance doors in place of the two side altars; this first building constitutes the apse area of the current Church of San Filippo Benizi. In 1509, the confraternity of Santa Maria delle Grazie, due to the increasing number of devotees, obtained permission to expand the church. Thus, the two walls of the octagon on the northern side of the building were demolished to make way for a large nave and six side chapels. From 1533 to 1579, the nearly completed work was halted due to financial difficulties. The resumption was facilitated by the financial contribution of the Servite Order, which settled in this location at the end of the 16th century. In 1692, construction began on a new convent for the friars. The current structure of the church can be considered, in essence, largely similar to the one entrusted to the friars in 1660. Since then, over the centuries, only minor, non-substantial modifications have been made.
**Facade**: This is the most altered part, almost halved due to the addition in the 18th century of a wing connecting the friars’ convent to the church itself. The portal features Renaissance and Mannerist elements, and in the tympanum, there is a stone imitation of the primitive fresco of the Madonna delle Grazie, created by the sculptor Giovanni da Orvieto and commissioned in 1579. The right wall is animated by six pilasters with Corinthian capitals. On the left wall rests the bell tower, a simple square-plan tower with three levels. After the construction of the choir behind the church’s apse, a long corridor was built along this wall to connect the choir with the friars’ convent. The rest of the wall is difficult to interpret due to the presence of the city walls and the bastion of Porta Romana.
The interior consists of the apse, the wooden choir, a nave with six side chapels.
**Description**: A fresco transferred en masse by an unknown artist from the mid-14th century depicts the Virgin enthroned with the Child. Dimensions: 120×80. Currently, it is located in the chapel on the left dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie; initially, it was on the wall of the Hospital of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. Later, after the construction of the octagonal church, it was placed on a consecrated altar on one of the octagon’s sides. This altar had been decorated and gilded by the painter Nicola di Liberatore, known as Alunno di Foligno, and his son Lattanzio in 1492-1493. In 1933, the fresco underwent a general restoration by the Superintendency of Monuments of Umbria, and in 1990, it was subjected to further conservation work by the restorers Marcello Castichini and Leonilde Dominici from Todi.
Additionally, the church venerates the relics of Saint Filippo Benizi, placed under the main altar in a modern metal urn. They were transferred by Bishop Angelo Cesi on September 21, 1599, from the convent complex of San Marco, now the Monastery of San Francesco. It is interesting to note that during the first examination on July 3, 1923, the bones, preserved in a cypress box within a marble urn, were protected by a double iron grating, the outer one made of thick iron bars weighing a total of two quintals. This unusual and seemingly excessive protection was suggested to the friars to deter the Florentines, who had previously attempted it, from trying to steal the saint’s body a second time. (Cf. GRONDONA CARLO, *Todi storica ed artistica*, new edition edited by Marco Grondona, Todi Pro Todi, 1981, pp. 212-213).
**Image**: Painting
**Type**: Object of worship not classifiable as an image or relic
**Collection of ex-votos**: Data not available
**Miracles**: Regarding the Madonna delle Grazie, there are no precise documented miracles, but it is known that she performed various graces. As for Saint Filippo, miracles include the healing of a leper, the conversion of two prostitutes, the extinguishing of a violent fire that broke out in Todi, and deliverance from other natural disasters (storms), etc. (Cf. LEONILDA DOMINICI, *Un santo fiorentino a Todi nel 1285*, in AA.VV., *Todi e San Filippo Benizi. Itinerario storico e artistico*, Collana Umbria Guide, Ediart, Todi 1985, pp. 9-31). The miracles performed in Todi after the death of Saint Filippo Benizi were recorded by notaries. Additionally, the oldest biographical accounts, which also describe the miracles, are found in the *Legenda de Origine Ordinis*, believed to have been written by Fra Pietro da Todi around 1318, and in a manuscript preserved in the Biblioteca Augusta of Perugia, dating to around 1330-1340.
The miraculous image of the Madonna delle Grazie was painted in fresco on the wall of the Hospital of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem in the first half of the 14th century, in compliance with a statute of Todi that mandated the painting of protective images of the Virgin inside or near the city gates. [It appears that this was part of the same tradition as the sacred image that led to the construction of the more famous Tempio della Consolazione near Porta San Giorgio (see sanctuary entry: Tempio della Consolazione)]. The presence of the image galvanized popular devotion, leading almost the entire population of this part of the city to form a confraternity under the same name, Santa Maria delle Grazie.
By the first half of the 15th century, to honor the image—which, through its miracles, attracted great devotion and crowds—the first church with a central octagonal plan was erected, as attested in a notarial protocol from 1456. In 1507, due to the many miracles and the spread of the cult, the strong and prosperous Confraternity of Santa Maria delle Grazie requested and obtained from Pope Julius II permission to expand the original church built on land belonging to the Hospitaller Order of St. John. However, disputes with the Knights Hospitaller of Todi over the ownership of the land on which the building stood delayed the signing of the contract for the expansion until the autumn of 1509. On November 6, 1511, the preceptor of the Trinity of Todi relinquished all rights to the property on which the church stood and the adjacent buildings, leaving the confraternity free to act as it saw fit (cf. ROBERTO M. FAGIOLI, GIORGIO COMEZ, *La chiesa di San Filippo Benizi in Todi già di Santa Maria delle Grazie*, Todi August 1991, pp. 6-8).
The expansion of the church began by adding a harmonious nave to the octagon, enriched with altars within arched chapels. It is likely that during this time, the fresco of the ancient shrine was detached and placed in the second chapel on the left, where it is still venerated today, albeit heavily damaged and repainted (cf. ALDO CICINELLI, *La chiesa di San Filippo già Madonna delle Grazie*, in AA.VV., *Todi e San Filippo Benizi. Itinerario storico e artistico*, Collana Umbria Guide, Ediart, Todi 1985, p. 79).
Around 1530 until 1562, the construction of the sanctuary, along with its cult, was interrupted: the descent of the Landsknechts under Charles V, in addition to the Sack of Rome, caused devastation across the peninsula and led to yet another outbreak of plague in Todi, which peaked between 1527 and 1529 but lingered in subsequent years. The Confraternity of Santa Maria delle Grazie was nearly erased from Todi’s social fabric; its properties became unproductive, and the building itself, based on numerous clues, suffered severe damage.
In 1547, the confraternity members decided to revive their brotherhood, give new impetus to the church’s construction, and reorganize the administration of their assets, selling whatever was necessary to raise funds for the project. However, the results must have been discouraging, as the meeting of February 15, 1580, records that the members voluntarily taxed themselves both in money and in various construction materials. Meanwhile, on January 6, 1562, after the restoration and cleaning of the octagonal apse and the appointment of a chaplain, liturgical worship resumed, and in 1579, construction work on the church regularly resumed.
This renewed effort included the presence of the friars of the Order of the Servites of Mary, who moved from their convent near San Marco to this location on April 1, 1590, with the obligation of officiating, custodianship, and administering the assets, while their former religious complex was ceded to the Poor Clares (see sanctuary entry: Church of San Marco). On September 21, 1599, the Servites solemnly transferred the relics of Saint Filippo Benizi here, securing a substantial and steady financial contribution, thanks to the centuries-old devotion of the people of Todi to the blessed Filippo, who had performed miracles and graces during his life and after his death (see sanctuary entry: Church of San Marco).
However, the church remained the property of the confraternity, with the friars serving as dependent chaplains. After several decades, on September 30, 1660, not without conflicts, the friars obtained direct possession of the buildings and paid the confraternity a final settlement of five hundred scudi. In this century, the sanctuary definitively changed its name after the canonization of Saint Filippo in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on April 12, 1671.
In 1692, construction began on a new convent for the friars, and in recognition of the prestige of the site, the novitiate of the Roman Province of the Order of the Servites was established there in 1713, remaining until 1860. (Cf. ROBERTO M. FAGIOLI, *Il convento di San Filippo a Todi (1860-1896)*, collana Res Tudertinae – 41 Litograf, Todi 1997, pp. 20–164; also, ROBERTO M. FAGIOLI, GIORGIO COMEZ, *La chiesa di San Filippo Benizi in Todi già di Santa Maria delle Grazie*, Todi August 1991, p. 45).
The convent was first suppressed in 1808 during French rule. After the fall of Napoleon’s empire in 1815, the religious community and the novitiate were reinstated. In 1860, following the laws of suppression and confiscation of ecclesiastical property, the church was assigned to the Ecclesiastical Treasury, while the convent was expropriated by the Municipality of Todi, and the friars were expelled in April 1861.
In 1885, the Prior General of the Order sought to reorganize the convents of the provinces, and in Todi, efforts were first made to purchase a building to adapt as a convent for the friars. The new convent welcomed the religious community in 1899 and was once again chosen as the seat of the novitiate of the Roman Province. The church, managed by the Congregation of Charity, was ceded to the Diocese of Todi on March 7, 1896.
Today, the devotion to the co-patron saint of Todi, though diminished compared to the past, remains alive.
**Confraternity of SS. Giovanni and Rocco**, also known as Santa Maria delle Grazie, was under the Hospitaller Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. On September 30, 1660, not without conflicts, the friars of the Order of the Servites of Mary obtained direct possession of the buildings and paid the confraternity a final settlement of five hundred scudi.
In 1860, following the laws of suppression and confiscation of ecclesiastical property, the church was assigned to the Ecclesiastical Treasury, while the convent was expropriated by the Municipality of Todi, and the friars were expelled in April 1861.
In 1885, the Prior General of the Order sought to reorganize the convents of the provinces, and in Todi, efforts were first made to purchase a building to adapt as a convent for the friars. The new convent welcomed the religious community in 1899 and was once again chosen as the seat of the novitiate of the Roman Province. The church, managed by the Congregation of Charity, was ceded to the Diocese of Todi on March 7, 1896.
Via S. Biagio, 2, 06059 Todi PG, Italy
