The Abbey of Santa Maria di Rovegnano, Chiaravalle Milanese (Latin: Sanctæ Mariæ Clarævallis Mediolanensis) is a Cistercian monastic complex in the comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

of Milan

Milan

Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

, Lombardy

Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...

, northern Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. The borgo

Borgo

Borgo is an Italian word , cognate with English borough, German Burg, French bourg, that now usually means the new town outside the walls of an old town...

that has developed round the abbey was once an independent commune called Chiaravalle Milanese, now included in Milan and referred to as the Chiaravalle district

Chiaravalle (Milan)

Chiaravalle is a district of Milan, Italy, part of the Zone 5 administrative division of the city. It is located in the periphery south of the city centre, within the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano nature reserve....

.

The abbey was founded on 22 January 1135 as a daughterhouse of Clairvaux

Clairvaux Abbey

Clairvaux Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, 15 km from Bar-sur-Aube, in the Aube département in northeastern France. The original building, founded in 1115 by St. Bernard, is now in ruins; a high-security prison, the Clairvaux Prison, now occupies the grounds...

; it is one of the first examples of Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

 in Italy, although maintaining some late Romanesque

Romanesque architecture

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...

 influences.

History

In 1135 Cistercian monks from Moiremont

Moiremont

Moiremont is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France....

, near Dijon

Dijon

Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....

 (whence the name of another Lombard abbey, Morimondo

Morimondo

Morimondo is a comune in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 20 km southwest of Milan.-External links:*...

), established themselves at Coronate, near the pieve

Pieve

In the Middle Ages, a pieve was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended.The Italian word pieve is descended from Latin plebs which, after the expansion of Christianity in Italy, was applied to the community of baptized people...

of Abbiategrasso

Abbiategrasso

Abbiategrasso is a comune and town in the province of Milan, Italian region of Lombardy, situated in the Po valley approximately 22 km from Milan and 38 km from Pavia.- History :The town dates from Roman times...

. Another group of Cistercians, coming from Cîteaux, reached Milan in early 1135, as guests of the Benedictines of Sant'Ambrogio, Milan, to support the cause of Pope Innocent II

Pope Innocent II

Pope Innocent II , born Gregorio Papareschi, was pope from 1130 to 1143, and was probably one of the clergy in personal attendance on the antipope Clement III .-Early years:...

 against Antipope Anacletus II

Antipope Anacletus II

Anacletus II , born Pietro Pierleoni, was an Antipope who ruled from 1130 to his death, in a schism against the contested, hasty election of Pope Innocent II....

. The papal dispute was resolved in favour of the former, thanks to the intervention of the Cistercian founder Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...

. He decided to reclaim the marshy area south of Milan and found a new abbey there; he left a group of friars in the city with the task of collecting money for the construction.

After a series of temporary buildings had been constructed, the construction of the permanent church was begun around 1150-1160; it was consecrated on 2 May 1221. Works continued in the 13th century with the first cloister, south of the church, and, in the 14th century, the crossing tower and the refectory. In 1412 a small chapel was built next to the southern transept. Today it is used as the sacristy.

In 1442 the abbey was placed in commendam

In Commendam

In canon law, commendam was a form of transferring an ecclesiastical benefice in trust to the custody of a patron...

. In 1490 Cardinal Ascanio Sforza

Ascanio Sforza

Ascanio Maria Sforza Visconti was an Italian Cardinal of the Catholic Church, generally known as a skilled diplomat who played a major role in the election of Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI.-Early years:...

 (the brother of Ludovico il Moro, duke of Milan) commissioned Bramante and Giovanni Antonio Amadeo

Giovanni Antonio Amadeo

thumb|260px|The Colleoni Chapel in Bergamo.Giovanni Antonio Amadeo was an Italian early Renaissance sculptor, architect, and engineer....

 to construct the Chiostro Grande ("large cloister") and the chapterhouse

Chapter house

A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....

.

During the Renaissance, numerous painters and artists worked in the abbey: to this period belong for example Bernardino Luini

Bernardino Luini

Bernardino Luini was a North Italian painter from Leonardo's circle. Both Luini and Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio were said to have worked with Leonardo directly; he was described to have taken "as much from Leonardo as his native roots enabled him to comprehend". Consequently many of his works were...

's works. In the years 1614 to 1616 the brothers Giovanni Battista and Giovanni Mauro della Rovere, called "i Fiammenghini", decorated the interior walls of the church with the frescoes which are still visible today.

When the Napoleonic

Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...

 Cisalpine Republic

Cisalpine Republic

The Cisalpine Republic was a French client republic in Northern Italy that lasted from 1797 to 1802.-Birth:After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte proceeded to organize two states: one to the south of the Po River, the Cispadane Republic, and one to the north, the Transpadane...

 was founded in 1798, the monastery was partly demolished. What remained included the church, part of the small cloister, the refectory and the entrance buildings. In 1861 Bramante's cloister was destroyed to make way for the construction of the Milan-Pavia-Genoa railway. The abbey remained a private property until 1894, while the Cistercians returned in 1952.

The dome’s frescoes were restored in the years 1970-1972; further works of restoration have been in progress since 2004.

Entrance

The complex is accessed through a 16th century tower commissioned by Louis XII of France

Louis XII of France

Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...

; to the side there is an oratory dedicated to Saint Bernard which contains a fresco of Christ standing before Pilate, once attributed to Hieronymus Bosch but today assigned to the Swiss Hans Witz (also known as Johannes Sapidus), who was court painter in Milan during the rule of Galeazzo Maria Sforza

Galeazzo Maria Sforza

Galeazzo Maria Sforza was Duke of Milan from 1466 until his death. He was famous for being lustful, cruel and tyrannical....

.

The wrought iron grill of the entrance is from the late 17th century. Nearby are the only remains of the original line of walls that surrounded the abbey; no traces remain of the ditch

Ditch (fortification)

A ditch in military engineering is an obstacle, designed to slow down or break up an attacking force, while a trench is intended to provide cover to the defenders...

.

Square

In the enclosed square

Atrium (architecture)

In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...

 preceding the church's entrance is a small church also entitled to St. Bernard, dating to 1412, later adapted as grocery after the construction of another church (also dedicated to the saint) in 1762. In the older church are traces of frescoes attributed to Callisto Piazza

Callisto Piazza

Callisto Piazza was an Italian painter.-Biography:Callisto, a member of the Piazza family of painters, was born in Lodi, Lombardy....

; the other houses the Incoronation of the Virgin with the Saints Benedict and Bernard (1572) by Bernardino Gatti

Bernardino Gatti

Bernardino Gatti was an Italian painter of the Renaissance, active mainly in Parma and Cremona.Born in or near Pavia or Cremona. He is also commonly called il Sojaro. His early apprenticeship is unclear, though he is influenced by the pre-eminent local painters: Pordenone, alongside whose works...

, moved here in 1952 during the restorations of the main church.

Façade

The façade of the church dates to prior the 17th century renovation, as it was restored to its original appearance in 1926. Some elements of the 17th century structure remain, however, such as the narthex

Narthex

The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...

, which replaces the 13th century one. The traditional façade a capanna, shows the gable

Gable

A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...

 end of the nave, flanked by the sloping roofs of the aisles, the frame supported by Lombard bands in terracotta.

Notable is the entrance portal, dating most likely to the early 16th century: it has sculpted figures of Saints Robert, Alberic, Stephen and Bernard, surmounted by the church's coats of arms: a stork with crosier

Crosier

A crosier is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran and Pentecostal prelates...

 and mitre

Mitre

The mitre , also spelled miter, is a type of headwear now known as the traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops and certain abbots in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in the Anglican Communion, some Lutheran churches, and also bishops and certain other clergy in the Eastern Orthodox...

.

Interior

The interior is on the Latin cross plan, with a nave and two aisles with cross-vault, divided by small cotto pilasters on the sides; the apse is flat. A fifth bay

Bay (architecture)

A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...

 forms the presbytery, while the transept arms are two rectangular bays, with a crossing dome. The last bays of the nave have square pilasters, supporting the choir.

The rich Baroque frescoes in Chiaravalle are a striking exception to the Cistercian preference for few, if no decorations in their buildings. They were realized in the early 17th century by the brothers Giovan Battista and Giovan Mauro Della Rovere, known as i Fiamminghini.

A notable example of wood carving is the choir, near the walls of the nave, carved by Carlo Garavaglia in the years 1640-1645.

Dome

The dome, currently in restoration, was frescoed with figures of the Saints Jerome, Augustine, Gregory and Ambrose, the four Evangelists surmounted by a starry sky. Of them, only St. Mark is currently in good conditions.

Also present are the Scenes from the Life of the Virgin from the Coronation of the Virgin to the Annunciation, all dating from 1345 to 1347 and tentatively assigned to Giotto's school. The drum is decorated with lesser quality saints.

Transept

The transept is entirely covered by frescoes by the Fiamminghini, who finished their work in 1615. The northern arm is dedicated to the Cistercian martyrs, including also a Holy Trinity. The side door leads to the cemetery.

The south transept paintings are dedicated to the order's saints and bishops: they include: Building of Cîteaux monastery, ovals with the Virgin, St. Benedict and St. Bernard, St. Dominic Abbot, St. Alberic, St. Galganus and St. Victor the monk, a large fresco with the order's family tree

Family tree

A family tree, or pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. The more detailed family trees used in medicine, genealogy, and social work are known as genograms.-Family tree representations:...

 and, on the vault, St. Christian, St. Peter of Tarantasia, St. Edmund of Canterbury, St. William of Berry. One of the chapels in the arm once housed Bramante's Christ at the Column, now in the Pinacoteca di Brera.

Presbytery

The presbytery

Presbytery (architecture)

The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....

 is the most luminous area in the church. It is formed by the seventh bay of the nave, and includes the high altar. On the side walls are two further Fiamminghini works: Adoration of the Shepherds and the Madonna del Latte.

Madonna della Buonanotte

A stair in the southern transept leads to the dormitory

Dormitory

A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...

, dating to 1493. Here a platform is decorated by one of Luini's first works, the Madonna della Buonanotte (1512): the name, meaning "Madonna of Good Night", stems from the monks' habit of greeting the Madonna with the last Ave Maria

Ave Maria

Ave Maria may refer to:*Ave Maria , the "Hail Mary", a traditional Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus-Music:...

 before sleeping.

Sacristy

The sacristy was built in 1412, being later enlarged in 1600 and 1708. It has two barrel-vaulted bays, a small semioctagonal apse and two ogival windows.

Here, until the Cistercians' expulsion in the Napoleonic times, was housed Louis the Pious

Louis the Pious

Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...

's cross; it is now in the church of Santa Maria presso San Celso

Santa Maria presso San Celso

Santa Maria dei Miracoli presso San Celso is a church and a sanctuary in Milan, Lombardy, northern Italy.-History and overview:The construction was begun by Gian Giacomo Dolcebuono and Giovanni Battagio in 1493, to house a miraculous icon of the Madonna, initially on the central plan...

 in Milan. Also present are canvases of the Holy Virgin, St. Bernard and Saints, St. Benedicts and others, and the altarpiece by Daniele Crespi

Daniele Crespi

Daniele Crespi was an Italian painter of the Baroque era. He was born in Busto Arsizio, and active mostly in the Milan of Federico Borromeo....

.

Cloister

Of the 13th century cloister today only the southern side and two bays remain. It is decorated by a Virgin Enthroned with Child Honoured by Cistercians (early 16th century), once attributed to Gaudenzio Ferrari

Gaudenzio Ferrari

Gaudenzio Ferrari was a Northern Italian painter and sculptor of the Renaissance.-Biography:Gaudenzio was born at Valduggia in the Valsesia in the Duchy of Milan. Valduggia is now in the Province of Vercelli in Piedmont. He is said to have first learned the art of painting at Vercelli from...

 and today to Callisto Piazza

Callisto Piazza

Callisto Piazza was an Italian painter.-Biography:Callisto, a member of the Piazza family of painters, was born in Lodi, Lombardy....

. The fresco is sided by the inscription in semi-Gothic script celebrating the church's consecration in 1221, surmounted by a stork.

Some of the capitals of the small columns show leaves, eagles and human faces.

Chapter house

The chapter house

Chapter house

A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....

 entrance is located on the eastern side of the cloister. Here are some sgraffiti attributed to Bramante, featuring the city of Milan in the early 16th century.

On the other sides are frescoes by the Fiamminghini with Prophets and Patriarchs. Some bronzo tondi

Tondo (art)

A tondo is a Renaissance term for a circular work of art, either a painting or a sculpture. The word derives from the Italian rotondo, "round." The term is usually not used in English for small round paintings, but only those over about 60 cm in diameter, thus excluding many round portrait...

 portray Christ at the Limb and St. Thomas' Incredulity by Lorenzetto

Lorenzetto

Lorenzo Lotti, also known as Lorenzetto, , born Lorenzo di Lodovico di Guglielmo, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor and architect in the circle of Raphael....

, based on Raphael

Raphael

Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino , better known simply as Raphael, was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur...

's drawings.

Tower

The church tower, known in the local dialect as Ciribiciaccola, starts from the dome area at 9 meters, with two octagonal sections of 4.14 and 12.19 meters, and a final conical one of 11.97 m. The upper point, in correspondence of the tip of cross which lies over a globe, is at a total height of 56.26 m.

Each of the sections is divided into two area with Lombard bands in different shapes, with carved frames and white pinnacles. The double, triple or quadruple mullioned windows are in Candoglia marble, the same used for the Milan Cathedral, while the single ones are in cotto.

The exact date of construction of the tower is unknown, but it has been dated to 1329-1340 and attributed to Francesco Pecorari from Cremona

Cremona

Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...

 due to its resemblance to the Torrazzo di Cremona and the belltower of the San Gottardo

San Gottardo, Milan

San Gottardo in Corte or San Gottardo a Palazzo is a church in Milan, northern Italy.It was built as Ducal Chapel by Azzone Visconti in 1330, and finished in 1336, as indicated by an inscription on the walls. It was originally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin but Azzone, who suffered from gout,...

 church in Milan. Additions from the 18th century were removed in the 1905.

Agriculture and Grana Padano

Here as elsewhere in the Po valley the Cistercians, and later the Benedictines, were known for their industry in clearing the thickets and woodland and in draining the marshes so as to establish up-to-date agriculture practices based on a system of large farming establishments called granges. The origins of the hard Italian granular cheese known generically as grana—the best known examples today being Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano-Reggiano , also known in English as Parmesan , is a hard granular cheese, cooked but not pressed, named after the producing areas near Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna , and Mantova , Italy...

(or Parmesan)—are traditionally ascribed to the monks of Chiaravalle.

External links

• Abbey and borough website