The Church of San Bevignate is located at the gates of Perugia, on E. Da Pozzo Street, opposite the monumental cemetery.
Its construction, around the mid-13th century, was influenced by a complex series of factors: the flagellant movement led by Raniero Fasani, which, starting from the Umbrian capital in 1260, spread throughout Italy; the new rising popular class, which, having gained political prominence, felt the need to legitimize itself with its own temple and saint, choosing the mysterious Bevignate, never canonized and of whom no certain documentation exists. Finally, the numerous hermit experiences settled in that area and the presence of the Templars who needed a new church to replace that of San Giustino d’Arna. It was precisely the Templars who managed to obtain the patronage of the building from the Pope.
After the destruction of the order in 1312, the church passed to the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, then to the nuns of Saint John and later to various confraternities until, in 1860, becoming state property, it was entrusted to the Municipality of Perugia.
The church appears externally plain, following the model of buildings constructed by the Templars in Palestine. Inside, with a single nave with two bays covered by rib vaults and a raised square apse introduced by a triumphal arch, it preserves highly significant 13th and 14th-century frescoes such as the Procession of the Flagellants, the Battle between Templars and Muslims, the Legend of Saint Bevignate, on whose cloak are graffiti engraved between the late 15th and 16th centuries by pilgrims, faithful, and Templar knights.
After long and complex security, consolidation, and restoration works, on April 20, 2009, the former Templar church was officially “returned” to the city.
A new public space has also been set up in the church to host a Documentation Centre on the history of the Templar Order
Information about Church of San Bevignate
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06121 Perugia (Perugia)
Source: MIBACT
