Majano: a stop for pilgrims on the ancient Via Allemagna

A few kilometres from Majano, there is the small village of San Tommaso. The unusual feature of this small village is that it stands on the Via Alemagna, one of the routes that used to lead pilgrims from Northern Europe to the Venetian lagoon before embarking for the Holy Land.

At San Tommaso there is the Hospitale di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, where travellers could find shelter and food. At the time, places like these were present everywhere, each a day’s travel from the next. Today, however, this is the only one left in Friuli Venezia Giulia. The structure is open to the public, but on the occasion of the International Day of Tourist Guides, I was able to take a guided tour and learn more about its incredible history.

Built and managed by the Knights of the Order of St John around 1199, initially it included only the tower, the outer walls and the church of San Giovanni and was intended to provide shelter to travellers and crusaders who needed a safe place in which to sleep and stable their horses. The complex was enlarged in 1200 with the construction of the first floor of the Loggia del Priore, and in 1348 there was a second expansion with the construction of a second floor.

With the end of the crusades and the subsequent decrease of pilgrimages, the hospitale changed its function and was used for agricultural use in 1500.

Destroyed in the earthquake of 1976, the site was acquired by the municipality and is recently coming back to life again thanks to an association that has taken care of its restoration. The materials used to erect the structure are almost exclusively the original ones found on site, including the wooden beams of the roof of the first floor included, remaining as faithful as possible to the historic layout. On observing the walls, it is possible to see the different stratifications resulting from the various enlargement works, but also the graffiti and scribbles left by the pilgrims who slept in the hospitale.

The church has also been restored. The guide explained the meaning of the frescoes, although a large part was lost with the earthquake. On the south side you can still see part of the Madonna della Misericordia by Nicolutto da Gemona (1350), while on the north side there are part of a probable St. Nicholas, a Madonna with Child and what is believed to be a scene from the legend of St Eligius of Noyon. The wooden altar dates back to 1500 and is one of the originals present even before 1976. Outside, Saints Nicolas, Jacobus and Joannes and St Christopher can be seen and must have been recognisable from afar away to the wayfarers.

The hospitale is currently a multifunctional complex that hosts various cultural and artistic activities, but it will soon resume its ancient function. The Amici dell’Hospitale association, which currently manages the structure, organises walks on the Tagliamento in the stretch that coincides with the Via Allemagna. Moreover, thanks also to more famous routes, such as the camino de Santiago and the Via Francigena (which connects with the Via Allemagna), there is a renewed taste for a slow tourism, for a closer exploration of a territory, follow new paths. On the upper floors of the Hospitale, beds will soon be placed to accommodate the new pilgrims of the Via Allemagna!