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Former church of St Thomas Becket in Minturno: from a place of prayer to Bourbon gendarmerie barracks
Strolling through Monte San Biagio, a hundred metres from the Portella gate, you come across a building that tells two stories in one. It is the former church of San Tommaso Becket (or of Canterbury), a place that has undergone a radical transformation over time. Born as a place of worship in the 13th and 14th centuries, it later became a Bourbon gendarmerie barracks. It is an unusual piece of the town's history that many people are unaware of.
Traces of the past
Today it is no longer a place of worship. And yet, if you look carefully at the rear of the building, you can still make out the semicircular wall of the ancient apse, preserved to its full height. It is the most visible trace of its medieval origins. The façade, on the other hand, has a portal with a stucco frame — a later addition that bears witness to the building's many lives.
From church to barracks
The church changed beyond recognition in 1806. The building was requisitioned and converted into a gendarmes' barracks. The old church was divided into two floors: the upper level served as quarters for the guards, while the lower level housed stables for the horses. Next to it, in a separate structure, there was even a prison. In 1599 a bishop had described the interior frescoes depicting the life of the saint. Now they are lost forever.
Its façade and rear section with the apse are clearly visible from the public road, near the Portella gate.
