Founded on the 5th of May 1142 by the monks of the
Monastery of Chiaravalle della Colomba upon the wish of Bishop Lanfranco of
Parma and the Marquis Delfino Pallavicino,
The Cistercian Abbey held
ecclesiastic jurisdiction over of around 8,500 Parmesan biolche (around
2,800 hectares).
The Cistercians remained in Fontevivo until 1546, when the
Abbey passed to the Benedictines.
The church, which still preserves its
original Romanesque aspect today, has a Latin cross plan. Inside, the
austere stone allows itself to be softened only by measured passages of
light. It stays in the mind thanks to the delicacy of the lines of the
"Madonna with Child" attributed to Antelami.
The monastery, which
subsequently passed to the Farnese family, and then from Duchess Marie
Louise to the Collegium Nobilium, frequented by nobles from all over Europe,
was partially restored recently, and today offers visitors the chance to
sleep and dine there.
Also worth a visit in the historical centre of Fontevivo (200 metres from the Abbey) is the convent church of the
Capuchins, built upon the wish of Ranuccio Farnese at the beginning of the
XVII century, apparently after the plans of Smeraldo Smeraldi.
Along the Via
Emilia, it is possible to visit the Romanesque parish church (1230) in Castelguelfo, originally a chapel of the Fortress of Castelguelfo.
Cistercian Abbey of
Fontevivo
NOTE: The Abbey is 