The hostel guestrooms lie inside the walls of the ancient Servi di Maria monastery in Sansepolcro. The Santa Maria dei Servi friars Order began in XIII century from the union of a group of seven secular Florentine men, who at a certain time in their lives decided to dedicate themselves to God, the Holy Virgin and mankind.

At that time Florence was a rich city and the numerous religious ferments shared a severe reference to the poverty and penance.

United by a deep friendship and common ideals the seven secular men retired to Senario Mount (on Fiesole hills) around the year 1246 and they remained till 1250, living in contemplation, prayer and poverty.

From the mount they went towards the northern central Italian cities as an organized group with their order and they settled near small villages, living in prayer and fraternity.

In 1255 the Servi can be found in Sansepolcro where they built their monastery outside the walls but then for greater safety they abandoned it and moved to the town.

The first stone of the new monastery was laid on 18 February 1294. but even the hermitages on the mountains of Sansepolcro (Montevicchio, Vallucola) are united to the Servi.

In 1382 the church dedicated to Santa Maria God’s Mother was consecrated. Now monastery and church are not as when they were built in fact the Baroque interior of the church was carried out from 1717 to 1727 and only the perimetric walls are left from the Gothic original ones.

Important works of art are kept in the church, among them the triptych of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Matteo Di Giovanni XV century.

 

SPIRITUALITY

Unlike the other mendicant orders, the Servi di Maria did not lead an assiduous social life but in particular they took care of fraternity in the monastery and the contemplative aspect.

Their characteristic feature was “not to do”, every day passed in prayer and with “Lectio Divina”, which is typical of “Santa Maria dei Servi” even nowadays.

Marian celebrations were a great moment for the whole towns in Sansepolcro, an opportunity to listen and to speak to people, but the most important thing was always prayer, fraternity and then work, orchard and manuscripts.

In this way the friars were characterized by an apostolic sobriety, by forming a more spiritual and testimonial community than by their external activity.