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The castle of Saint John on the bridge of Poggibonsi

… Poggibonsi castle dates back to the first years of the Millennium. It shows all the characters of each castle: a church, a monastery and a pilgrim's house. Though the external area is furnished of two gates to the inner courtyard, the pilgrim entered first to the church to satisfy the first spiritual need: to thanks for arriving save until there and to ask protection and blessing for the travel still to be done. From the two gates one could reach the inner courtyard where the well usually was. The well was essential for those who travelled: arrived to a safe place they could finally find enough water to wash and drink themselves, give water to the animals, while taking a water supply.
Once fulfilled the very first needs, both spiritual and material ones, one could approach the church where there were the rooms of the pilgrim's house. Here one could settle to rest. The rooms were separated according to the sex and to the requirements (to eat or sleep). Arrived to the Pilgrim's house, the pilgrim would meet a castle's monk, called hospitalarius, i.e. the host monk, the one who had the duty of welcome the pilgrims as if they were Christus, tamquam Christus. The rule obliged him to a smiling and worm attitude towards the pilgrims, to a pleasant talk and a easy way especially towards those who showed arrogant behaviours or bad speeches. Very often, though, the pilgrim used to arrive there tired and exhausted. The hospitalarius offered him a warm welcome and a quite space where to find new strengths and meanings to the spiritual paths.



A Francigena road B Poggibonsi bridge C old people house's gate D Pilgrims' house and Monks' house E courtyard F chapel G 18th century hut 1 stone pavement decorated with the gerosolimitan cross 2 main gate 3 pilgrims' gate 4 monks' gate 5 monk clusters 6 pilgrims and travellers' clusters


In a huge room at the first floor it was an area for the ill ones, the old ones and the sick ones. There also were recovered and help all those in need at the end of their lives who asked, often 'cause they couldn't manage differently, to be cared during the death, to receive Mass and prayers for their souls after death. The so called infirmarii, nurses - monks, devoted themselves to these persons. They had to be easily available taking care of all their needs. They washed and cleaned the wounds by herbal medicines they themselves had cultivated and prepared in the vegetable gardens, kept the fire on to maintain the worm inside, watched at the oil lamp during the night, cooked the meals of the ill people, with special drink, herbal tea and mixtures and all was known at that time to care the ill one. Finally there was the monastery, the monks' house, with its own kitchen, store rooms and refectory. Monks and guests common life was ordered by regular and fixed timetables: different spaces and times were dedicated to relieve the need, the sufferance, the duty and the prayer. The Knight monks took care of all was required to keep on the castle. Someone took care of the relationships with the neighbourhood (countrymen, woodsmen, cool collectors, etc.) who provided stuff to the castle. Someone took care of the church's religious duties, and the monks thought to receive and arrange everything for the guests. The infirmarii ones and the hospitalari ones, helped by their servants, took care of cleanness of the place, of bringing food and drinks to the pilgrims, to give advices and informations about the next day's road to walk through. Each of these activities was carried out along with the others, with the purpose to be sure that all those who were staying in the castle could improve their spiritual and material wellbeing, and to made the same castle an instrument of the mercy of God.


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