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The Church and Convent of St Francis in Sonnino: the Franciscan Complex at the Entrance to the Village
The Church of San Francesco with its adjoining convent stands at the entrance to Sonnino, just outside the medieval nucleus, perched high up in the Lepini Mountains. According to local tradition, it was built around 1300 by Father Francesco Manicone, a celebrated orator and Apostolic Nuncio. A distinctive quadrangular bell tower is detached from the body of the church, characterised by large arched openings.
A Centre of Franciscan Culture
The convent belonged to the Conventual Friars Minor, and for centuries functioned as a centre of philosophical and theological studies. The church preserves on the high altar a 17th-century painting depicting the Madonna della Misericordia (Our Lady of Mercy). The coat of arms of the Franciscan order is still visible in the portal arch.
At the Gates of the Village
Located in Via San Francesco, the complex welcomes those arriving in Sonnino from the valley below. The position is no accident: Franciscan convents often arose on the edges of inhabited centres, places of passage and welcome for pilgrims and travellers along the ancient roads that connected Rome to the South.
