The Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, commonly known as ‘la Commenda’, located in Borgo Durbecco, is one of the most significant historical sites in the city of Faenza, in the province of Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Since its construction in the 12th century, the building adjacent to the church served as a hospice for pilgrims travelling along the Via Emilia towards the Holy Land. In 1319, the complex passed to the Order of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, remaining a commandery of the Order until the Napoleonic dispossessions of the late 18th century.

The € 1.30 and € 1.35 stamps depict the church complex, characterised by a Romanesque façade of exposed brick and an elegant Renaissance cloister renovated in 1525 at the behest of Commander Fra’ Sabba da Castiglione.

The € 2.55 and € 3.35 stamps depict, respectively, the apse fresco of the church and a detail of Fra’ Sabba da Castiglione within the fresco.

Each stamp bears the inscriptions “SOVRANO MILITARE ORDINE DI MALTA” and “POSTE MAGISTRALI”, the corresponding descriptive text, the coat of arms of the Order’s activities and the respective face values.

Credits: photos by Lorenzo Gaudenzi (€1.30, €2.55, and €3.35 stamps) and Raffaele Tassinari (€1.35 stamp).