The Abbey of Montelabate

A Papal Bull in 969 odering Abbott Pietro to restore the monastry of Santa Maria of Valdiponte under Benedictine Rule
testifies to its being founded in an earlier period. The original church is believed to have been constructed from a former Roman temple.
Governing 40 parishes its community continued to thrive in the C13 & C14 as evidenced by the rich frescoes;
however loss of autonomy in the C15 under Papal rule, led to break down of order until C18 when the Cistertian rule was adopted.
With the unification of Italy in C19, the monks were disbanded and the monastry sold to become a private villa and farm.
It is owned by the Gerolamo Gaslini Foundation who plan to offer a meditative ambience for visitors.

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