Lombardy: Milan
The Chiaravalle Abbey

Milan: The Chiaravalle Abbey

An oasis of peace where the work of the monks of the last one thousand years together with the art and the surrounding countryside combine to make the area incredibly rich of color and full of farming activity; the only negative aspect is that it is unfortunately very close to one of the city dumps.

We are talking about the Chiaravalle Abbey, dominion of the Cistercian monks from the year 1135, the year in which San Bernardo founded his first church together with a small group of French monks.

The climate is anything but friendly due to the humid heat but the area became a theatre of intense and patient work that transformed the marshland into cultivated fields. To this day work and prayer dictate the monk’s daily activities, diligent observers of the Benedictine philosophy “ora et labora” (i.e. pray and work).

Chiaravalle - the Abbey

Even the architecture of the Abbey is characterized by the essential and simple rhythms of the monk’s lives, a model which gave birth to Citeaux - founding place of the Cistercian monks who can now be found throughout Italy and the rest of Europe.

The cloister is a fundamental part of the Abbey around which the church, the chapter house and the refectory are built.

There is not much remaining of the original cloister but the rows of arches, the contrast between the plasterwork and terracotta and the green in the middle give the air of a medieval atmosphere.

There is a stone tablet inscribed with a stork built into the wall in the north-east corner which represents the period in which the land was transformed from being unfertile to fertile, and the consecration of the church where we return to the sobriety of the Cistercians.

The large cylindrical pillars are without a base or a capital at either end and support the cross vaults and provide stability, while the light makes the structure seem more unified and lighter.

 The interior is based on the classic Latin cross-shape and made up of a large series of squares.

It was San Bernardo who banned decoration or otherwise, considering it to be useless and mundane, and at the same time a dangerous distraction to his devotion to contemplation and poverty.

However, this did not last long and from the second half of the third century work was under way by various noted artists.

At the end of the fourth century, Bramante finished his “Christ at the Columns” which can now be found in the Pinacoteca di Brera, a famous Milan art gallery. Shortly afterward, Bernardino Luini completed his fresco “Madonna della buona notte” or “Madonna of the good night”.

This can be found at the end of the right aisle next to the stairs that bring the monks to their sleeping quarters. Other artists include the Della Rovere brothers and the Fiamminghini, whose frescoes can be found on the counter facade and at the choir, not to mention the walnut seats carved by Carlo Garavaglia in 1640.

Of all those things mentioned, none stands out so much as the “Ciribiciaccola”, the tower built above the church dome with its octagonal shape rising to almost 60 meters.

Chiaravalle Abbey from the Cloister: the "Ciribiciaccola"

Walkways and suspended archways, little openings with deep shadows and various terracotta decorations continue to the top of the cone-shaped tower. Almost like a miracle, you feel yourself spiritually lifted as you make your way back from Chiaravalle.

Together with the richness and fruits of the soil where it is possible to find honey, chocolate, beauty creams of various types and 100% liquorices on sale in the Abbey’s shop, not to mention the fresh eggs, well bred rabbits and turkeys and last but not least, compact discs of Gregorian chant which enable you to take a little of the monks’ work and peace home with you.

Cultural and historical notes © by Chiara Periti.

Photos © Mauro Manmano - See more Chiaravalle Abbey original photos from Mauro... >>>

How to get there:

The Abbey, a true oasis of peace, is very close to Milan, it's just 10 kilometers away from it and is easily reachable from downtown Milan, or from the Autostrada del Sole A1 with a car and it can be reached with several lines of the ATM public transportation system (the ATM site is in Italian only, and you have to enter "Chiaravalle" as destination to find out the transportation lines going to the Abbey).

It's very recommended to go to the Abbey with a bycicle: How to get there by bicycle... >>>

 One day trips from Milan without a car:
 Milan on foot
 Milan - Chiaravalle Abbey
 Bergamo Alta
 Bologna
 Isola Comacina on Lake Como
 Lecco and Bellagio by boat
 Como and Bellagio by boat,
 Isole Borromee on Lake Maggiore
 Arona, Angera on Lake Maggiore
 Arona, Rocca di Angera on Lake Maggiore
 Villa Taranto on Lake Maggiore
 Mottarone on Lake Maggiore
 Lake Maggiore, Arona to Stresa by boat
 Stresa - Locarno, a day boat trip
 The Garda Lake - a day boat trip
 Pavia, the city
 Pavia, the Certosa
 Portofino in winter
 

© 1997-2010 Enrico Massetti
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