St. Fortunato Church is one of the main churches in the city of Todi and is dedicated to the city’s patron saint.
The construction of this church dates back to 1198, the year in which Pope Innocent III consecrated an altar to St. Cassian inside the church, and is considered paleo-Christian.
In June 1292, the church was transformed into a Gothic style, with works interrupted only during the 1348 plague and resumed after 1405.
The new builders were architects Giovanni Santuccio from Firenzuola and his nephew Bartolo.
By the first half of the 1400s, only the lower part of the facade was completed.
The interior has three naves, each with an entrance from the facade and doors adorned with bas-reliefs depicting saints, biblical prophets, and floral decorations (the vine representing good, the fig representing evil).
From the two naves, you can see 13 chapels with frescoes and statues, including the fresco of the Madonna and Child with two angels by Masolino da Panicale (in the fourth chapel).
The apse choir is from 1590, created by Antonio Maffei from Gubbio. In the crypt under the altar, with two access points on either side of the altar, there is a mausoleum with the remains of saints including St. Cassian.
Later, Ferraù da Faenza, also known as Faenzone, painted a fresco on a wall of the crypt depicting the face of Jacopone inspired by an earlier painting.
The church interior has beautiful stained-glass windows in the upper part of the altar, which, with sunlight, give a beautiful light to this entirely white cathedral.
In front of the church are two staircases that intersect with each other and are surrounded by beautiful flower beds.
Every year, for the celebrations of St. Fortunato, these flower beds are adorned with many small candles, almost creating a luminous path that accompanies the celebration of Mass.
In recent years, during the week of the patron saint’s feast, historical reenactments have been organized, with a historical procession that makes the feast even more followed by tourists.
The beauty of this church has given rise to a legend that many people know, but there is no historical certainty about it: it seems that the architect who designed it was blinded during the works so that it would not resemble the cathedral of Orvieto, where some find many architectural similarities.