From the top of the hill, an ancient convent dominates the Val Cavallina. Inside are silent cloisters, a small bell tower, and jewels of Renaissance art to be discovered. It will be difficult to choose whether to be bewitched by the splendid panorama or to imagine a life of contemplation, work, and prayer in these courtyards amidst the beauty of this sacred architecture.
The walls that guard a treasure of national value
The greatest treasure of this convent is an inner well surrounded by four white stone columns on which Renaissance capitals rest, considered a national monument.
The convent remained in operation until 1797, but the well and its other treasures fortunately survived its decommissioning: from the 17th-century cloister to the convent church, of which only the façade can be admired.
Convents also traditionally had an inner garden called “brolo” enclosed by walls or hedges, where the religious cultivated a vegetable garden and grew fruit trees. San Michele also had its place dedicated to cultivation, as you can discover thanks to the masonry remains of the fence of the ancient brolo.
The Church of the Assumption attached to the monastery with its sandstone portal is a jewel embellished with Corinthian capitals and cornices embellished with elaborate friezes, which stand next to the Convent Cloister. Inside are works by Pietro Marone and Gian Paolo Cavagna.
DETAILS OF INTEREST:
– The cloister; the well, which is a national monument;
– A 16th century cross made of gilded copper.
VISIT INFORMATION:
– Only the outside of the church can be visited.
