Background
He was born in Bologna, the son of Don Filippo Rinaldo Hercolani Fava Simonetti and D. Francesca Cangini. He is the grandson of Count Antonio Hercolani Fava Simonetti, who was Lieutenant Grand Master of the from 1951 to 1955.
He was born in Bologna, the son of Don Filippo Rinaldo Hercolani Fava Simonetti and D. Francesca Cangini. He is the grandson of Count Antonio Hercolani Fava Simonetti, who was Lieutenant Grand Master of the from 1951 to 1955.
Fra" Gherardo joined the order in 1963 and became a Knight of Justice in 1977. He was responsible for spreading the principles of the Faith, the supervision of the Priories and Subpriories and the creation of reports for the Holy Secretary He also was responsible for the Magistral Palace Chapel.
He was the Councillor to the Sovereign Council between 1978 and 1983, subsequently the Grand Prior of Lombardy and Venetia between 1984 and 1994, Member of the Sovereign Council from 2006 to 2009, and also the President of the Order’s Pilgrimages from 2007 to 2009.