|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
From the suspended cloisters you can reach the loggia where you can admire a breathtaking view of the Euganian Hills and the surrounding countryside, neither dotted by houses nor cars. Strange, charming, now more than ever.
|
 |
|
A detail
that conveys the silent dimension in
which the monastic life, made up of
prayer, work and study, is set. The Benedictine abbey of Santa Maria Assunta
of Praglia, maybe one of the most
important monumental and religious
communities in the area, is set in the
town of Teolo, only 10 minutes from
Abano Terme. |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
It was founded in
the XII century and almost completely rebuilt on
the monks' behalf in the XVI and XVII century.
Beyond the city walls a sweeping staircase leads
to the Assunta church, built in 1490-1495 and
probably projected by Tullio Lombardo. Nearby a
Romanic bell tower is what remains of the
original 1100 church. Inside the church there
are paintings of a XVI century Venetian painting
school and over the altar a XIV century wooden
cross. Outside, on the church's right, there's
the monastery's entrance. In Praglia's abbey
live over 40 monks, one of the largest
Benedictine communities in Italy.
|
|
 |
 |
|
Inside (it can be
visited in the afternoon, except on Mondays and
during important religious ceremonies) there are
four wonderful cloisters: botanical cloister,
suspended cloister, rustic cloister and
seclusion cloister.
|
|
| |
 |
 |
|
The "big refectory"
is remarkable for its XVIII century seats (walnut
and brier walnut) enriched by different little
wooden statues decorated with a moral saying
over each one.
Outside there's a precious sink belonging to the
XVI century.
|
|
| |
 |
 |
The monastery's
ancient library and the hundred thousand books
it holds are a national monument, even if it was
robbed twice of its refinedly illuminated
ancient manuscripts: in 1810 after the
Napoleonic suppression and in 1867 due to the
enforcement of the decree that scattered all
religious orders. The librarian of the time
wrote: "Seven carts are leaving today for Padua". |
|
| |
The care for the monks' books is also
witnessed by the book restoration lab that, founded in 1951, has retrieved the
manuscripts damaged by the flood at
Florence and the tidal waves at Venice
the 4th of November 1966.
|
| |
 |
 |
|
The Benedictine
community of Praglia has never been secluded: at
the beginning of the XX century the monks taught
the local craftsmen. Nowadays the Benedictine
monks not only restore books, but also prepare
natural cosmetics exclusively with officinal
herbs and products coming from beehives. These products are created thanks |
|
| |
to the ancient knowledge of the monastery's apothecary
combined with modern technology. Just as important is
the welcoming of people in need of quiet and silence in
the guest quarters at the sides of the rustic cloister. |
| |
Tour time table
Sunday and holidays - Wintertime
14,30; 15,00; 15,30; 16,00; 16,30
Sunday and holidays - Summertime
15,30; 16,00; 16,30; 17,00; 17,30
Weekdays - Wintertime
14,30; 15,10; 15,50; 16,30
Weekdays - Summertime
15,30; 16,10; 16,50; 17,30
Schoolchildren only in the morning and only booked.
Closed every Monday; New Years Eve; Epiphany;
Easter Triduum; Easter; Whitsunday; Assumption Day; All
Saints Day; Immaculate Conception Day; Christmas Eve and
Christmas.
|
| |
|
|
|