A Journey to the Mystic Monasteries of Italy (Part II)
For those of you, who love the history of the
Second World War, the Monte Cassino Battle took place exactly around one of
these amazing monasteries. A
series of four battles fought by the Allies, the attempt was to smash the German Gustav Line of defenses during
the Italian winter to early summer of 1944.
Pomposa Abbey
Pomposa Abbey is a
Benedictine monastery near Ferrara in the region of Emilia Romagna. It was one
of the most important abbeys in northern Italy. The buildings are Romanesque.
News of a Benedictine abbey at this site dates from the 9th century, but the
settlement was probably two centuries earlier. Until the 14th century the abbey
had possessions in the whole of Italy, but later declined due to impoverishment
of the neighboring area and the presence of malaria. It played an important
role in the culture of Italy thanks to the work of its scribe monks. In the
19th century the abbey was acquired by the Italian government. The church
architecture shares the features of the late basilicas of Ravenna, and it is
the result of several additions and transformations. It is dedicated to Saint
Mary, consists of a nave and two aisles and contains a good mosaic pavement and
interesting frescoes by Vitale da Bologna. The bell tower (1063), standing at
48 m, is one of the finest bell towers from the Romanesque period. Notable is
also the Palazzo della Ragione. The abbey is certainly one of the most
important historical places, and one of the most suggestive locations in the
whole province: once an island surrounded by the waters of the Adriatic Sea,
the Po di Volano and the Po di Goro rivers, today it is an enchanting
historical and cultural site.
Fonte Avellana
The monastery of Fonte Avellana is situated on Mount Catria, in the
Apennine Mountains, in the region of Marche. Its beauty is derived as much from
the intentional poverty of the architecture as the magnificence of its
proportions and the extraordinary size of the entire complex. It was founded in
980. Dante stayed here in 1318 and described the hermitage in Canto XXI of
Paradise in "The Divine Comedy". The spiritual life of the hermits
was certainly influenced by Saint Romuald of Ravenna, the father of the
Congregation of the Camaldolese Monks of the Order of Saint Benedict. The
development of Fonte Avellana started with Saint Peter Damianus. Not only did
his strong personality shape the original nucleus of the hermitage. Even more,
it was because of his spiritual, cultural and organizing impulse that the
hermitage became a centre of attraction and for spreading the monastic life and
exerted a great influence in religious reformation and in social life. The
monastery itself conserves an extraordinary scriptorium which was built
projecting out of the side of the monastery, facing due south. Tall single
light windows on each side are ingeniously arranged in such a way as to allow
the maximum amount of light into the room for the greatest part of the
day. www.fonteavellana.it
Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
The Papal Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Basilica Papale di San
Francesco d'Assisi) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Friars
Minor, commonly known as the Franciscan Order. The basilica is one of the most
important places of Christian pilgrimage in Italy. It was begun in 1228 and it
was built into the side of a hill and comprises two churches known as the Upper
Church and the Lower Church, and a crypt where the remains of the saint are
interred. With its accompanying friary, the basilica is a distinctive landmark
to those approaching Assisi. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
The interior of the Upper Church is important as an early example of the Gothic
style in Italy. The Upper and Lower Churches are decorated with frescoes by
numerous late medieval painters from the Roman and Tuscan schools, and include
works by Cimabue, Giotto, Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti. The range and
quality of the works gives the basilica a unique importance in demonstrating
the development of Italian art of this period. The architecture is a synthesis
of the Romanesque and Gothic styles, and established many of the typical
characteristics of Italian Gothic architecture. As originally built, both upper
and lower churches had a simple cruciform plan, a square crossing, a transept
that projected by half a bay one each side, and an apse, the lower being
semicircular and the upper polygonal. To the left of the church stands a
free-standing bell tower of Romanesque design. www.assisionline.com
The Shrine of the Holy House (Basilica della Santa Casa) is a late
gothic structure. The façade of the church was erected under Sixtus V, who
fortified Loreto and gave it the privileges of a town (1586). The interior of
the church has mosaics by Domenichino and Guido Reni and other works of art,
including statues by Raffaello da Montelupo. In the sacristies on each side of
the right transept are frescoes and fine intarsias. The basilica as a whole is
thus a collaborative masterpiece by generations of architects and artists. The
main attraction of Loreto is the Holy House, a well-known Catholic pilgrimage
place since at least the 14th century and a popular tourist destination for
non-Catholics as well. It is a plain stone building; the niche contains a small
black image of the Virgin and Child, in Lebanon cedar, and richly adorned with
jewels. The statue was commissioned after a fire in the Casa Santa in 1921, and
was crowned in the Vatican in 1922 by Pope Pius XI. There is a tall marble
screen around the house designed by Bramante. The four sides represent the
Annunciation, the Nativity, the Arrival of the Santa Casa at Loreto and the
Nativity of the Virgin, respectively. The treasury contains a large variety of
rich and curious votive offerings. www.santuarioloreto.it
Farfa Abbey
Farfa Abbey is a territorial abbey in northern Lazio, central Italy. It
is one of the most famous abbeys of Italy and Europe. It belongs to the
Benedictine Order and is located about 60 km from Rome, in the commune of
Fara Sabina. Archeological discoveries in 1888 seem to prove that the first
monastic establishment was built on the ruins of a pagan temple. This first
monastery was devastated by the Vandals in the 5th century. The
"Constructio Monasterii Farfensis", a writing which probably dates
back to 857, relates at length the story of its principal founder Thomas of
Maurienne. Farfa was the most important monastery in Italy both from the point
of view of worldly possession and ecclesiastical dignity. It had one large
basilican church and five smaller ones, rich in masterpieces of religious
orfèverie. Between 930 and 936, it was rebuilt by Abbot Ratfredus. Berard,
abbot from 1049 to 1089, made the abbey a great seat of intellectual activity.
The Cathedral has a huge Romanesque gate, with magnificent floral friezes. The
interior has three naves middle one surmounted with a lunette representing the
Virgin and the Child. The Renaissance hall has several chapels: the most
venerated image of Farfa is located in the Crucifix Chapel. The interior wall
of the façade has a fresco depicting the Last Judgment (1571). www.abbaziadifarfa.it/
Montecassino Abbey
Montecassino is a monastery complex near Rome. It was the Monte Cassino
battle site in 1944. The place has been visited many times by the Popes and
other senior clergy, including a visit by Pope Benedict XVI in May 2009. The
monastery was constructed on an older pagan site and enclosed by a fortifying
wall. St. Benedict of Norcia established here the Benedictine Order around 529.
At Monte Cassino he wrote the Benedictine Rule that became the founding
principle for western monasticism. Monte Cassino became a model for future
developments but unfortunately its protected site has always made it an object
of strategic importance. It was sacked or destroyed a number of times. It was
rebuilt and reached the apex of its fame in the 11th century. The number of
monks rose to over two hundred, and the library, the manuscripts produced in
the scriptorium and the school of manuscript illuminators became famous
throughout the West. The buildings of the monastery were reconstructed on a
scale of great magnificence, artists being brought from Amalfi, Lombardy, and
even Constantinople to supervise the various works. An earthquake damaged the
Abbey in 1349, and although the site was rebuilt it marked the beginning of a
long period of decline. The archives, besides a vast number of documents
relating to the history of the abbey, contained some 1400 irreplaceable
manuscript codices, chiefly patristic and historical. www.montecassino.it
Always remember to contact
the monastic communities for information on visiting hours, mass services,
retreats. Also, plan your trip ahead of time if Easter, and Christmas are your
preferred dates for your getaways.
