Sant'Angelo in Panzo

One of the nice things about being here for a while is having the opportunity to wander the countryside in search of places one would not otherwise see.  I had read about a former monastery called "Sant'Angelo in Panzo", where Clare of Assisi and her sister Agnes sought refuge after deciding to follow Francis, much to the chagrin of their family.  Walking along a rural road I encountered the above marker, conveniently including a word of English.  A little ways up the dirt path was a sign "Attenti il Cane!", that required little translating, as "cane" himself was standing there, staring.  I said some nice things in Italian, recalled how Francis befriended animals and, hoping for the best, walked slowly by.  Cane just ambled away, probably wondering about my accent.

                                       

Soon Sant'Angelo in Panzo was in sight.  Since the property is now privately owned, I was not able to enter.  However, the outside was interesting to study, covered with centuries of vines.  In its day, it must have been a beautiful and peaceful refuge. 

                                

Being here, it's easy to think back 800 years.

     

Later, I tried to do more research about Sant'Angelo in Panzo, but found few details in English.  However, a site called Travelitalia had information in Italian, which I asked the computer to translate.  The results are both informative and entertaining, showing the strengths and shortcomings of computer translations.

The Monastero di Sant'Angelo in Panzo rises on the slopes orients them of the Subasio Mount, under the Eremo of the Jails. The building laughed them at the end of X the century, and has been constructed probably on the rests of an ancient roman takeover, next to a source millenarian who still supplies water to the city. At the beginning of the 1200's, Panzo accommodated a convent of monache Benedictine, and was here that - in 1211 or 1212 - Francisco lead Clear, escaped of house. Little after, the sister smaller of Clear was received in the convent also, Agnese, than more late she will be beatified. Chiara and Agnese only remained to Panzo for short time: when Francisco ended to restore Saint Damiano, the Saint sisters and their companions moved themselves to you, and here they remained for all the life. In the 1238 monache Benedictine of Panzo they joined to the Rule of the Clarisse, that is of the “Poor Sisters of Chiara Saint”. When they were moved to Assisi - around 1270 - the monastero was abandoned. The complex divenne dwelling patrizia in the 1600's, when it was acquired and transformed from the rich family of the Bonacquisti. Writing to the income testifies that the chiesetta it was constructed in 1604 “with stones of the oldest one and celeberrima church of Sant'Angelo in Panzo”. Now the palace is a private dwelling.

Ciao.