A Jacobite Gazetteer - Lazio

The town of Monte Porzio Catone is located atop a hill about 25 kilometres south-east of Rome, some four kilometres east of Frascati.

The town is easily accessible by bus from Frascati. The Camaldolese Hermitage lies in a valley between Frascati and the hill-top town centre of Monte Porzio Catone.

Facade

The Chiesa di San Gregorio Magno, which dominates the view of the town from the valley below, lies at the far end of the old town from the main square. To reach it, one enters the old town from the main square through the arch below Palazzo Borghese and goes straight ahead.

The church was dedicated in 1766 by Henry, Cardinal Duke of York (later King Henry IX and I). A Latin inscription formerly on the interior wall of the facade recorded the fact: ¹

D. O. M. TEMPLUM IN HONOREM D. GREGORII MAGNI PAPAE PRIMI A IOAN. BAPTA BURGHESIO SULMONIS PRINCIPE CENTUM FERME ABHINC ANNIS RESTITUTUM A FUNDAMENTIS AMPLIATUM EXORCATUMQUE MARCO ANTONIO BURGHESIO SULMONIS PRINCIPE PATRONO POSTULANTE HENRICUS EPISCOPUS TUSCULANUS S. R. E. VICE CANCELLARIUS CARDINALIS DUX EBORACENSIS SOLEMNI RITU CONSECRAVIT KAL. JUNIIS AN. DNI MDCCLXVI TRANSLATAQUE ANNIVERSARIA EJUSDEM CONSECRATIONIS MEMORIA AD DOMINICAM SECUNDUM OCTOBRIS IPSUM EO DIE VISITANTIBUS INDULGENTIAM CENTUM DIERUM CONCESSIT CLEMENTE XIV PONTIF. MAXIMO.

Under the altar in the chapel on the left side of the church are preserved the relics of Saint Laconilla which Henry brought to the church in 1783. On the right wall of the chapel there is a Latin inscription:

On the right side of the church towards the back is a small chapel, the Oratory of Saint Antoninus, a saint from Apamea in Syria. Henry acquired a part of the saint's right shoulder from Spain and brought it to Monte Porzio Catone in 1772 on the occasion of the consecration of the oratory.

Inscription

At Via Giuseppe Verdi 10, Henry, Cardinal Duke of York (later King Henry IX and I), established a school for young girls.

To reach Via Giuseppe Verdi, one enters the old town from the main square through the arch below Palazzo Borghese. He turns left and goes to the end of the street, where he turns right onto Via Giuseppe Verdi. A little ways down on the right side there is a Latin inscription high up on the wall of what is today a very unimpressive building:

This was one of several schools established by Henry. There is another in Velletri.

The Camaldolese Monastery (Sacro Eremo Tuscolano degli Eremiti Camaldoesi di Montecorona) is technically located in the commune of Monte Porzio Catone, although historically it was part of Frascati.

The monastery was often visited by King James III and VIII. ¹ Henry, Cardinal Duke of York (later King Henry IX and I) re-consecrated the church in 1772. A Latin inscription on the inside wall of the facade above the main entrance records the fact:

D. O. M.
HENRICO EPISCOPO TUSCULANO
CARDINALI DUCI EBORACENSI
S. R. E. VICE-CANCELLARIO
QUOD
ECCLESIAM HANC DEO IN HONOREM
S. ROMUALDI ABBATIS
EXIMIA PIETATE, SOLEMNI RITU DICAVERIT
SACRASQVE INDULGENTIAS DE MORE CONCESSERIT
DIE XXV OCTOBRIS MDCCLXXII
CAMALDULENSES ÆTERNUM POSUERE
 
To the glory of Almighty God,
[and] to Henry, Bishop of Frascati,
Cardinal Duke of York,
Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church,
on account of the fact that,
with extraordinary devotion and solemn rites,
he dedicated this church to God in honour
of Saint Romuald the Abbot
and, according to the custom, granted a holy indulgence,
October 25, 1772:
the Camaldolese placed [this monument] for eternity.

According to several published works Henry's coat-of arms can be seen over the entrance to one of the buildings which flanks the church. In the major historical work about the hermitage there is a photograph with the caption, "Stemma del Cardinale Enrico Duca di York Vescovo di Frascati, disegnato sulla parete dell' ingresso dell' appartamento detto pontificio" (Coat-of-arms of Henry, Cardinal Duke of York, Bishop of Frascati, painted on the wall of the entrance to the so-called pontifical apartment). But the illustration shows the coat-of-arms of Pope Pius IX. ² I have not been able to determine if Henry's coat-of-arms are in fact anywhere displayed in the monastery.

King Charles Emanuel IV of Sardinia (later King Charles IV) and his wife Queen Marie Clotilde visited the hermitage in late September or early October 1800. ³

The monastery is located several kilometres from the centre of Frascati. If one takes Via del Tuscolo, the road soon begins to climb the mountain towards the summit with the site of the ancient town of Tusculum. After about three kilometres a road branches off to the left towards the town of Monte Porzio Catone. From here there are good views of the monastery which lies on the other side of a small valley. The road towards Monte Porzio Catone descends into this valley. On the right is a driveway with a black iron gate. A dirt road leads to a formerly rather grand entrance to the monastery up a long paved and tree-lined drive.

The monastery (including the church) is not open to tourists; it is only open for devotional visits Monday to Friday from 8.15 a.m. to 12.00 noon and Saturday from 8.15 a.m. to 12.00 noon and from 3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. ⁴ Only men may enter the monastery (including the church).

Via del Tuscolo, 45. Telephone: 39.06.9449006.