Abbazia di Chiaravalle di Fiastra description and photos - Italy: Marche (Topic)

Abbazia di Chiaravalle di Fiastra description and photos - Italy: Marche. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Abbazia di Chiaravalle di Fiastra.

Photo and description

Chiaravalle Abbey, also known as Fiastra Abbey, is a Cistercian monastery located between the towns of Tolentino and Urbisaglia in the Marche region of Italy. Surrounded by an extensive nature reserve, it is one of the best-preserved Cistercian abbeys in Italy.

In 1142 Guarnerio II, Duke of Spoleto and Marquis of Ancona, allocated a large allotment of land to the Cistercian monastic order between the rivers Chienti and Fiastra. In the same year, monks from the Chiaravalle Abbey of Milan arrived here and began work on the construction of the monastery. To do this, they used materials from the ruins of the nearby ancient city of Urbs Salvia, destroyed by Alaric in the 5th century. The monks began to drain the swampy area inhabited by wolves, bears and deer.

Fiastra Abbey flourished for three centuries. The monks divided their agricultural land into six plots, the lands of which were actively cultivated. The monks also participated in the economic, social and religious life of the region. The influence of the abbey grew - by the 15th century, 33 churches and monasteries were subordinate to it, and its history is recorded in 3194 manuscripts of the "Carte Fiastrenzi", now kept in Rome.

But in 1422 the abbey of Fiastra was plundered by the soldiers of Braccio da Montone, who destroyed the roof of the church and the bell tower and killed a large number of monks. And next, by order of the Pope, it was in charge of a group of eight cardinals. In 1581, the abbey was handed over to the Jesuit Order, after the abolition of which in 1773 the property passed to the noble Bandini family. The last member of the family, Sigismondo, transferred the management of the abbey to the Giustiniani-Bandini Foundation, on whose initiative a nature reserve was created to protect the natural and cultural heritage of these places. In 1985, the historical value of the abbey was recognized at the national level.

The church of the abbey is named after Santa Maria di Chiaravalle di Fiastra. Its imposing building is in the transitional Romanesque-Gothic style, typical of Cistercian architecture. Inside it consists of three chapels and eight spans with Romanesque arches. The column capitals were carved by the monks themselves.

The monastery next to the church still functions as a Cistercian society. It is notable for its beautiful cloister, rebuilt in the 15th century, around which you can see the refectory of secular brothers, cells, the house of the chapter and the grottoes.

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Topic: Abbazia di Chiaravalle di Fiastra description and photos - Italy: Marche.