Montesanto Convent

t lies on a hill to the west of Todi. There should have been a sanctuary as the famous Mars of Todi testifies. This was a statue made by Orvieto's inhabitants and dating back to III century before Christ. During the Middle Ages a stronghold was built on the slope, known as Monte Mascarano, in order to ward off the enemy attacks.
In 1235 Friar Ruggero from Todi, a companion of Saint Francis, gained from the Commune the permission to house Clare's community. The nuns, then, moved to the town because of several wars and in 1448 the convent was run by the Minor Observants and it is still run by a Franciscan order.
A secular linden tree grows outside the entrance to the church. It is said to be planted by Saint Bernard in 1426.