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The Grand Magisterium of the Order 

HEADQUARTERS
00120 - VATICAN CITY

CENTER OF SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY
Church of St. Onofrio al Gianicolo
Piazza S. Onofrio al Gianicolo, 2
I - 00165 ROMA - Italia

The grant to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem of the church and monastery of Sant’Onofrio on the Janiculum Hill is linked to some of the most important organisational changes that have taken place within our sodality. On 15 August 1948, Pius XII issued a motu proprio establishing that the Order’s headquarters should be transferred from Jerusalem to Rome, to the above-mentioned church, and that in future the Grand Master should be a Cardinal appointed by the Pope.

What is less well known, however, is that the particular favour shown by the Pontiff had a special significance for the Order. In fact, the church still contains reminders of Torquato Tasso, the author of Gerusalemme Liberata, the epic poem that retells the deeds of the crusaders who fought to regain possession of the Holy Sepulchre itself. After wandering all over Italy, the poet requested and obtained shelter at the monastery of Sant’Onofrio and spent the last years of his life there. So the literary heritage of the site and the chivalric nature of our sodality come together in perfect harmony in this location, which also houses a small museum containing a few of Tasso’s manuscripts.

Sant’Onofrio is therefore a place where history, culture and faith have been handed down through the centuries. The buildings date back to the 15th century but there was a hermitage in this spot even before that. Construction of the church began in 1439 and was completed in the 16th century. The sacred building was in the hands of the Society of St. Jerome until 1933, when Pope Pius XI dissolved the association.

The location is panoramic, situated close to the path over the Janiculum Hill, where the view of Michelangelo’s cupola on St. Peter’s dominating the surroundings and the boom of the midday cannon put the finishing touches to the evocative atmosphere. Climb the steps to the gate bearing the Order’s coat-of-arms and cross the lovely flowered garden that forms the churchyard. Even on the external walls of the church you can see important artworks attributed to Domenichino and to Sebastiano Strada.

Inside, the renaissance style retains something of the gothic; the body of the church is rectangular with cross-vaulting, a polygonal apse and five side chapels. The latter are dedicated to Saint Humphrey, to Our Lady of Loreto, to Jesus Christ Crucified, to Saint Pius X and to Saint Jerome. The first chapel contains the funeral monument to Torquato Tasso. The paintings in the apse attributed to Peruzzi and Pinturicchio are very beautiful, as are those in the sacristy. From the portico, walk through the short entryway to the 15th century cloisters to be filled with tranquillity and a feeling of complete peace. If you wish to visit the Tasso Museum you will find the door within the entryway itself.

This artistic jewel provides a source of enrichment and spiritual growth for anyone who goes there. How much more then for members of the Order?

HEADQUARTERS OF THE GRAND MAGISTERIUM
Operational Representative headquarters
Palazzo della Rovere
Via dei Cavalieri del Santo Sepolcro, 3
I - 00193 ROMA - Italia
(temporarily closed for renovations)

TEMPORARY HEADQUARTERS OF THE GRAND MAGISTERIUM
Via Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli, 86
I - 00193 ROMA - Italia
Tel. (+39) 0699703401
gmag@oessh.va

Today, this "palace" is often incorrectly called the "Palazzo dei Penitenzieri", after the name of the previous owners, the Penitentiary Fathers of St. Peter's. In the 15th century, however, it was the residence of Domenico della Rovere, a Cardinal from the Piedmont, who belonged to the inner circle surrounding Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere. Domenico della Rovere had a brilliant career in Rome, making his name in a number of important and highly remunerated ecclesiastical posts. The palazzo was built in the late 15th century, between 1480 and 1490; the Florentine architect, Baccio Pontelli, modelled it closely on  the architectural style of Palazzo Venezia, the most important building in 15th century Rome. In fact, in the 15th century, the Palazzo della Rovere was so greatly praised and admired that Emperor Charles VIII chose to stay here when he visited Rome in 1495.

The five halls of the piano nobile, are now the official reception rooms of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and one of them is home to an extremely important ceiling by the artist Pinturicchio and his atelier. The Hall of the Grand Master is lavishly decorated with trompe l'œil architectural features depicting a terrace looking out onto a landscape. The Hall of the Seasons retains fragments of a very rare kind of portrayal of the months of the year, each month represented by the myth that gave rise to its zodiacal sign; the scenes which have been best preserved relate to June, with a peasant making hay and the myth of Hercules and the Hydra – the origin of the sign of Cancer; October, with the bird-catcher of Byzantine legend and the myth of Orion – the origin of the sign, Scorpio; and March, with soldiers ready to set off to war.

The next hall has fine lunettes enclosing images of the prophets delivering their words of wisdom and apostles accompanied by verses from the Creed; the frieze around the exquisite gold and blue ceiling features portraits of Roman Emperors.

The most sumptuous and best preserved ceiling is in the Hall of the Demigods. This astonishing composition of 63 panels painted on board and enclosed in wooden caissons is full of creatures from mediaeval bestiaries flanked by allegorical and symbolic images drawn from classical tombs – very important evidence indeed of a culture at the crossroads between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Fantastic animals and monsters, mythological gods and goddesses, chimaeras (creatures half-human, half-beast) such as sirens, tritons, centaurs, satyrs and sphinxes stand out against the gilded background of the caissons; some are playing musical instruments or fighting with rudimentary weapons in a huge variety of poses.

In the left wing of the palazzo the old refectory overlooking the hanging garden still has the ancient 15th century décor of themes based on nature, as well as allegorical figures clearly influenced by the style of Michelangelo. In the same wing of the building, some of the rooms on the second floor have frescoes painted in 1552 by the Florentine artist Francesco Salviati. The work was commissioned by Cardinal Giovanni Salviati, who owned the building for a long time and made it his residence. One of these frescoes is at the centre of the ceiling of the "Apollo Room" where, in a trompe l'œil portrayal, Apollo drives his chariot pulled by the horses of the Sun, surrounded by the emblems of the Medici family.

LATIN PATRIARCHATE OF JERUSALEM
P.O. Box 14152, Jaffa Gate
91141 JERUSALEM
Tel. (+972) 2 6282323
Fax (+972) 2 6275392
www.lpj.org
ceo@lpj.org

LA GERARCHIA DELL'ORDINE
LA HIERARCHIE DE L'ORDRE
THE HIERARCHY OF THE ORDER
DIE HIERARCHIE DES ORDENS

GRAND MASTER 

Sua Eminenza Reverendissima
Il Signor Cardinale Fernando FILONI
00120 CITTÀ del VATICANO

GRAND PRIOR 

Sua Beatitudine Eminentissima
il Signor Cardinale Pierbattista PIZZABALLA, OFM
Patriarca Latino di Gerusalemme
P.O. Box 14152, Jaffa Gate
91141 JERUSALEM

ASSESSOR

Sua Eccellenza Reverendissima
Mons. Tommaso CAPUTO
Arcivescovo Prelato di Pompei, Delegato Pontificio per il Santuario
Piazza Bartolo Longo, 1
80045 POMPEI (Napoli)

LIEUTENANT GENERAL

.........

GOVERNOR GENERAL

S.E. Cavaliere di Collare Amb. Conte
Leonardo VISCONTI DI MODRONE
Gran Magistero dell’Ordine Equestre
del Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme
00120 CITTÀ DEL VATICANO
Tel. (+39) 0669892901
Fax (+39) 0669892930

VICE GOVERNOR GENERAL

H.E. P. Thomas POGGE, KGCHS
1715 N. 102nd Street
OMAHA, NE 68114-1141 - USA

S.E. le Chev.Gr.Cr. Jean-Pierre Marie de GLUTZ-RUCHTI
Le Ménestrel – Avenue des Alpes, 10/A
1006 LAUSANNE - Suisse

S.E. Cab. Gr. Cr. Enric MAS
C/. Rivadeneyra, nº 3, bajos
08002 BARCELONA-España

H.E. John R. SECKER, KGCHS
8 Yale Close
NORTH ROCKS - NSW 2151 – Australia

 

CHANCELLOR

Cav. Gr. Cr. Amb. Alfredo BASTIANELLI
Gran Magistero dell’Ordine Equestre
del Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme
00120 CITTÀ DEL VATICANO
Tel. (+39) 0669892901
Fax (+39) 0669892930

TREASURER

S.E. Cav. Gr. Cr. Dott.
Saverio PETRILLO
Gran Magistero dell’Ordine Equestre
del Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme
00120 CITTA’ DEL VATICANO

MASTER OF CEREMONIES

Rev.mo Mons. Adriano PACCANELLI
Via Liberiana 27
I – 00185 ROMA

MEMBERS (in order of appointment)

Cav. Gr. Cr. Avv. Flavio RONDININI
Gran Magistero dell'Ordine Equestre
del Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme
00120 CITTÀ DEL VATICANO

Cav. Gr. Cr. Duca Dott. Leopoldo TORLONIA
Gran Magistero dell’Ordine Equestre
del Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme
00120 CITTÀ DEL VATICANO

Chev.Gr.Cr. Col. Dominique NECKEBROECK
Résidence Tradition 5
86, avenue de Paris
78000 Versailles
FRANCIA

H.E. Michael Scott FEELEY, KGCHS
2835 Solamere Drive
PARK CITY, UT 84060 - USA

S.A.S. Cav. Gr. Cr. Principe Mariano Hugo
WINDISCH-GRAETZ
Gran Magistero dell’Ordine Equestre
del Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme
00120 CITTA’ DEL VATICANO

Prof. Helene LUND, LGCHS
Konows gate 93B
0196 OSLO - Norge

Prof. Bartholomew John McGETTRICK, KGCHS
University of Glasgow
174 Carmunnock Road
GB - GLASGOW G44 5 AJ - United Kingdom

H.E. Thomas R. STANDISH, KGCHS
3224 Robinhood
HOUSTON, TX 77005 – USA

ASSESSORS OF HONOR

Sua Eccellenza Reverendissima
Mons. Antonio FRANCO
Arcivescovo Tit. di Gallese – Nunzio Apostolico
00120 CITTÀ DEL VATICANO

Sua Eccellenza Reverendissima
Mons. Giuseppe LAZZAROTTO
Arcivescovo tit. di Numana – Nunzio Apostolico
00120 CITTA’ DEL VATICANO

GOVERNOR GENERAL OF HONOR 

S.E. Cavaliere di Collare Dr. Ing. Pier Luigi PAROLA
Via Giotto 3
I - 20145 MILANO - Italia

VICE GOVERNOR GENERAL OF HONOR

S.E. le Chev. Gr. Cr. Jean Marc ALLARD
10510, Avenue d'Auteuil
MONTREAL - H3L 2K6 Quėbec  - Canada

S.E. Cav. Gr. Cr. Ing. Adolfo RINALDI
Via Giovanni Barracco, 11
I - 00162 - ROMA

H.E. Patrick D. POWERS, Knight of the Collar
17240 Coriander Court
YORBA LINDA, CA 92886 - USA

S.E. Cavaliere di Collare Avv. Giorgio MORONI STAMPA
Via Somaini 5
6901 LUGANO - Svizzera

CHANCELLOR OF HONOR

Cav.Gr.Cr. Dr. Prof. Ivan REBERNIK
Via Poggio Verde, 40
I - 00148 Roma

DIGNITARIES OF HONOR

S.E. Cav. Gr. Cr. Conte Mario CANTUTI CASTELVETRI
Via Giuseppe Martucci 32
I - 00199 ROMA - Italia

Gran Magistero dell'O.E.S.S.G.
00120 - Città del Vaticano
Tel. 39 - 06 - 69892901
Fax 39 - 06 - 69892930