BASILICA POLIRONIANA
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One of the most important Benedictine complexes in Northern Italy located in Mantova.
This vast religious complex, once a monastery, now a basilica, has long been one of the most important and influential in the region. It is one of the most important Benedictine complexes in Northern Italy. It was built in 1077 by the influential Tuscan family of Di Canossa (to which the famous Matilda of Tuscany belongs). A Benedictine monastery, its appearance was completely redesigned in the first half of the sixteenth century by Giulio Romano, the architect of the Palazzo Te and the Duomo in Mantua. From then on, the basilica took on a Renaissance look, with its classicizing architectural language, the purity of its lines and the harmony of its proportions. Bonaparte's descent into Italy in 1797 put an end to the life of the monastery; its monks were expelled and its riches were plundered. It was not until some thirty years later that the basilica recovered its splendour. An interesting guided tour (in Italian) leads through the sacristy decorated by Giulio Romano, the three cloisters, the refectory, the upper floors and even the cellars. A real succession of rooms worthy of a palace. Particularly noteworthy is a singular Romanesque mosaic from 1151 in the chapel dedicated to St. Mary to the left of the apse, illustrating the four cardinal virtues; likewise the fresco that decorates the huge room of the refectory is attributed to Correggio. Overall, the basilica is a real jewel box of works of art. A small museum preserves precious religious objects.
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