The constant presence of the Order in Umbria was once again highlighted by the Pilgrimage of its Knights and Dames to the Madonna of Philerimus in the Jubilee Basilica of Assisi, recently restored after the damage inflicted by the earthquake, and by the conference organised in Magione Castle by the Accademia Internazionale Melitense. During the latter, the “Peregrinationes” was presented, a publication containing documents, studies and relations, including the proceedings of its first conference.

H.M.E.H. the Prince and Grand Master, Fra’ Andrew Bertie, with the High Officers of the Order, the Prelate, Msgr. Donato de Bonis, the Grand Priors of the Veneranda Lingua d’Italia, the President of the Association of Italian Knights with the Commander of the Military Corps and the National Manager of the Relief Corps, participated in the Pilgrimage to the Virgin Patroness of the Order at St. Mary of the Angels, restored to the devotion of the faithful and to the splendour of its frescoes and works of art, including the altar-piece of the St. Hilary repaired with the Order’s contribution. Thus the Order’s traditional pilgrimage to the sanctuary, interrupted for two years because the structure was rendered unsafe by the earthquake, was resumed on the morning of 8 September, with special solemnity and participation, also coinciding with the celebrations of the Great Jubilee of the Church.

In the afternoon, in the nearby Magione Castle, the conference organised by the Accademia Internazionale Melitense took place, in the presence of His Most Eminent Highness, the Grand Chancellor and Rector of the Academy, Amb. Conte Don Carlo Marullo di Condojanni, the High Officers and members of the Sovereign Council, the Prelate of the Order.

The President of the Academy, Prof. Paolo Caucci von Saucken, opened the conference, in the glorious and austere framework of the library of Magione Castle, after a welcoming speech by the Grand Master and an introductory address by the Grand Chancellor.