Chiaravalle della Colomba

4 km away you can visit the Chiaravalle della Colomba Abbey.

The abbey was founded by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux himself around 1135. The complex was born when Bernard accepted the pleas of Bishop Arduino of Piacenza and his people: it was typical of Cistercian monasteries, in fact, to settle in disadvantaged areas, actively working to cultivate and reclaim them and channeling the effort of spiritual asceticism through hard work. In this sense, the formula Ora et labora is famous.

The first document reporting its official existence is, in 1136, an institutionis paginam by Bishop Arduino himself. With it the prelate grants the monastery the first land assets, which will be followed by others from the marquises Pallavicino and Cavalcabò. However, work on the body of the basilica began after 1145 and continued for the following two hundred years.

Legend has it that a white dove hovered before the eyes of the monks, outlining the perimeter of the complex with straws. However, it is much more likely that the dedication to Santa Maria della Colomba refers to the descent of the Holy Spirit into Mary´s womb during the Annunciation.

The complex presents the classic Benedictine scheme, with orthogonal elements that allowed subsequent expansions. The fundamental body is the basilica, to which a fourteenth-century cloister of particular beauty and value adjoins. Inside the basilica we find a structure with salients, ribs and hanging arches, while the layout itself is a transition between Romanesque and Gothic.
Decoration is essential: Saint Bernard disapproved of what he called the ridicula monstruositas of the medieval bestiary, and imposed interiors without superfluous decorations.

The most well-known liturgical celebration today is Corpus Christi, which takes place in June. During the festival the famous "infiorata" takes place: a large carpet of petals that starts from the entrance of the church to the presbytery of the basilica and which depicts sacred motifs, often Eucharistic.