The Castle of San Terenziano

San Terenziano is a castle situated in the middle of the Petronian plateau and is full of history and interesting buildings. It was built using white and pink limestone from the nearby quarries, following the usual square shape.

It took its name from the Martyr Bishop of Todi, who was martyred in this area. The place was already famous during the Roman era as a stony location because of its limestone and travertine quarries. The castle always followed the political and military events of Todi and established special castellani here. Todi’s eagle stands out on the entrance gate, next to a majestic square tower. During the Renaissance, the Cesi family established their residence here and built the Palazzo Cesi, which is still visible today among the medieval houses, thanks to its impressive Renaissance structure. Outside the castle, there is the Romanesque church dedicated to St.Terenziano, which was a parish church with a vast territory belonging to the Chapter of Todi and probably representing the origin of the village. It is a rare model of a building made up of two overlapping churches: the lower church was partly built with the Roman era’s material in the 11th century where it was placed the sarcophagus with the Saint’s remains, while the upper church was rebuilt in the 13th century, following a structural development similar to the one of the double Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.