CHIARAVALLE ABBEY
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Abbey marking the transition to Gothic architecture in Italy.
The abbey of Chiaravalle is unexpectedly located in the middle of a countryside without charm, marked instead by the presence of large industrial plants. The building was built by Bernard of Clairvaux (hence the name Chiaravalle) in 1135 and marks the transition to Gothic architecture in Italy. The use of red brick ( cotto lombardo), however, reveals the still present link with Romanesque art. The white stone decoration, characteristic of the Cistercian style, is particularly evident in the columns of the bell tower, thus contributing to its vertical momentum. Completed in 1340, the polygonal bell tower rises to the sky and can be seen for miles around. The porch in front of the façade is a 17th century addition. The three-aisled interior, topped by a 14th-century frescoed dome, features a beautiful Madonna and Child (1512) frescoed by Bernardino Luini, as well as several other murals painted by the Campi and Fiamminghini families in the 16th and 17th centuries. Take time to admire the chapels with their beautiful 16th century decorations. The wooden choir, carved by Carlo Garavaglia between 1640 and 1645, is remarkable. From the right aisle you can enter the cloister, which has retained all the charm of the past. The guided tour takes the visitor through the various key areas of the monastery complex; the ticket includes a tour of the abbey and a supplement will add the discovery of the old agricultural mill and the chapel of Saint Bernard.
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