⛪ ANCIENT BENEDICTINE CLOISTER

You are now standing in the ancient Benedictine cloister, an area that was completely restored during renovation work completed in the 1990s. This space most likely dates back to the earliest period of the monastery and probably served as a novitiate for young monks. The columns you see are made of pink stone from Rosaro Avesa, a material typical of prestigious Veronese constructions.

In the center of the small courtyard you can notice a basin formed from a single block of stone. According to tradition, it was used by the Olivetan monks for storing salt, an extremely precious commodity in medieval times. The statue of the Madonna was sculpted in 1903 from a single block of Veronese stone.

Originally it was placed in the niche of the external wall, at the corner of the building on Via Santa Maria in Organo, but to preserve it, it was moved here, where it continues to watch over this space of peace.

This monastery has an extraordinary history. Founded in 585 AD during the reign of the Lombards, Duke Lupone and his wife Ermelinda entrusted Abbot Feroce with the task of building this monastery with its adjoining church.

For almost nine centuries, from 585 to 1423, the Black Benedictines, so called because of the color of their habit, lived and prayed in these spaces, following the rule of Saint Benedict:

"Ora et labora" - Pray and work

In the 14th century, the monastery went through a period of crisis. In 1282, the monks had been reduced to only two.

In 1423 the abbey was entrusted to a lay abbot, and in 1444, by concession of Pope Eugene IV, the White Benedictines, better known as Olivetans, entered. Under the guidance of Father Bernardo Scappi, who became abbot on November 20, 1444, a new era began for the monastery.

The Olivetans were famous for their love of art and culture, fostering the emergence of a flourishing school of illuminators and woodworkers.

This cloister witnessed centuries of monastic prayer before becoming the starting point of a worldwide missionary enterprise. The ancient stones that heard Gregorian chant now resound with the prayers of missionaries preparing to serve the most abandoned.

Here, in this space where time seems suspended, the contemplative tradition of monasticism meets the active mission of evangelization, creating a perfect synthesis of prayer and action that characterizes Comboni spirituality.

← Back to Tour