Santuario di San Tommaso Becket o di Canterbury

The sanctuary and convent of San Tommaso di Canterbury, located outside the historical center, dates from the 17^th century. In 1617, the town council approved the foundation of a convent of Observant Reformed Franciscans. In 1619-20, Pope Paul V confirmed the authorization and blessed the first stone. The sanctuary was built near the Cuprense road, in a place where there stood a chapel built a century earlier by the Farfa monks of Santa Maria de’ Cellis. The chapel was consecrated to St. Thomas of Canterbury probably because it housed some relic of the saint, which had been presumably brought by an English monk who had fled the anti-catholic violence of Henry VIII (1509-1547). The construction of the convent was completed in 1643. The monks remained in it until 1810, when the religious orders were abolished by Napoleon Bonaparte. After various vicissitudes, from 1910 on the convent has been owned by the Conventual Franciscans, who over the course of time hosted in it the novitiate, the minor seminar, and pastoral and touristic activities. The facade of the church displays an arcade with five arches. The 18^th-century interior consists of a nave with a notable coffered ceiling. Inside the convent is a kiosk enclosed by large glass windows. The sanctuary is a destination of pilgrims who come to beg for the saint’s intercession, especially for bone diseases. A fair and market dedicated to the saint take place every year the first Sunday of June in the vicinities.