Twin Churches (Templar and Hospitaller) / Church
Description
Built unusually side-by-side, it has been traditionally assumed that these two churches once belonged to the two military orders of the Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaller. Their identification is based on the singular evidence of a coat of arms – a shield with a cross resembling the heraldic device of the knights of St John – which has been added above the south door of the smaller of the two buildings. This identification has therefore, recently been called into question, as the churches could be assigned to one or more of several Latin nunneries or other churches in the city, or possibly to a private Genoese family.
The larger of the two buildings to the north appears to be earlier; the smaller, a single-celled chapel to the south, is probably late 14th century.
