My Latin is nonexistent, but I agree.
Praesidium Vigilantia Would be protection watch... or protection monitoring...
what does everyone else think?
If everyone else agrees on this name, I'm happy to go along, but it feels a little redundant.
How about Praesidium Orae, protection of the coast?
Or Praesidium Zephyri, protection of the west wind?
(I am enjoying using Wiktionary to brush up my Latin.)
Edit: I just realized I had already suggested Praesidium Zephyri. Sorry for the repeat. 
I must admit, allocating the boons and hooks and build points for a covenant kind of makes my head spin. I'll happily make suggestions, but you might need to be specific for me about the setting and what you'll allow. (Not that I'll be the proverbial kid in the candy store. More like the enthusiastic middle schooler who is not sure which goal is his. 
)
Praesidium Vigilantia would make as much sense as the modern term protective surveillance- Praesidium is a noun or adjective depending on use, while Vigilantia is a verb...
That being said I think Praesidium Orae also has a nice ring to it. Also I am curious why you keep bring up wind...
I believe this is why:
It does sound euphonious, something I'm looking for in a covenant name.
I didn't think about that because the first move occurred within the first 100 years, so it has very little to do with the present site. However if the magi researched the history of the location at some point it could be a legitimate name...
Shall we go with Praesidium Orae? Sounds good to me, and I presume the intended meaning is "watchtower/gatehouse of the coast" (or were you using ora in the meaning of edge/border instead?)
I have requested a game on the forums here, and started a wiki: praesidiumorae.wikidot.com/start
We can continue to discuss the setup of the covenant or character ideas here before the forum gets set up...
How well would a character with Holy Magic fit in? I have a concept I've been toying with. I do have a variant idea without Holy Magic but with similar leanings and goals, too. I'm not quite sure where things are headed and what the tone will be, though. Of course, I'm not locked into the concepts at this point, either.
Holy magic is, for obvious reasons, more common in the Roman Tribunal than elsewhere in the order.
I also play where Magi are allowed to take religious vows.
Sure, but depending on the tone of the saga and the style covenant, someone practicing Holy Magic can really be at odds with the troupe. If it fits well, wonderful, I'd really love to try this idea. But if not I should go another route.
Would you be looking to start play as a Holy Mage or looking to develop it in play?
If the former, it creates an opportunity for someone to create a parens who became a Holy Mage prior to 1100, let them do some prologue and then disappear, a fun exercise in seeing what is possible with the rules. This is ideal for someone who likes the idea of creating a Holy Mage but would rather be something else in play.
If the latter, we just need someone to create a highly educated magus who makes sure their apprentice has a good grounding in theology and artes liberales, or one who is exceedingly discreet in urban areas (maybe subtle and quiet magic, or deft form) who passes on their secrets to an apprentice who can then perform holy magic without needing impious words and gestures. This would work because there are plenty of "magus posing as an academic" character concepts, and the discreet magus is the bedrock of Jerbiton.
The covenant was born amidst religious conflict, with the Roman Church, the Byzantine church, and the Muslims fighting over the land it was founded on. It is in the Roman Tribunal, which has some of the strongest divine auras around, and if you are not familiar with the real world history, it is about to enter a period of conflict within the Catholic Church, or at least between parties who had all previously been considered Catholic. What the troupe wants to put together as their magi and group dynamics I cannot say, but from external factors this is probably the strongest setting for a holy magus you will find.
I will mention that if you get deeply into the nature of the divine in this particular rendition of the AM universe you may be surprised by what you find- how you feel about the subtle differences I cannot predict. But in terms of utility of a magus and fitting into the background, a Holy Mage makes a lot of sense here.
Do you have any suggestions about where to look for information on this? I'm not sure if you are referring to the early inquisition, the crusades, the various religious orders that form in the 12th century? Also, how important a role do you anticipate Church politics to be?
I'm asking because I'm thinking about character concepts. I think my favorite right now (for the apprentice that I would like to play) is a Flambeau with Elemental Magic who really wants to help defend his covenant and the order (perhaps becoming a Hoplite at some point), but feels a little ill-at-ease about knowing who the "bad guys" really are.
I did like the sound of this one, and I had intended "gatehouse of the coast."
... as an aside, my original Forum avatar link stopped working, and I just realized that the new one I chose is the same as Darkwing's. Looking back at the posts today got a little confusing; I plan to change it again, but will have to figure that out later ...
Looking backwards the Byzantine Empire occupied the east coast of Itally as well as the region you are in, the Moors/Saracens had occupied it after they did. The Lombards were pagans when they first invaded Northern Italy but have largely Christianized, though many of them to the church of the Bulgars which we now call Catharism, which the church has begun crusading against in 1220 in France but not in Itally. There are of course the crusades, and eventually the war between the Pope and Fredrick II. That doesn't even get into the cut throat politics inside the Vatican and issues like indulgences being sold...
How involved you get is largely up to you, but events of such importance has some effect on just about anyone, and you are close to the epicenter.