Certosa di Farneta, Province of Lucca, Medieval Carthusian monastery in Farneta, Lucca, Italy.
The Certosa di Farneta is a Carthusian monastery near Lucca, in Tuscany, made up of a church, chapels, monks' cells, and shared areas. The layout follows the standard Carthusian plan, where spaces for prayer, work, and communal life are kept clearly separate from one another.
The monastery was founded in the Middle Ages as a religious house of the Carthusian order in the area around Lucca. Between 1903 and 1940 it served as the mother house of the entire order, after the community from Grande Chartreuse in France was forced to leave its home.
The church displays paintings and frescoes from the 1600s on the cupola and around the altar, made for the monks by local artists. Walking through the space, visitors can see how the Carthusian community used art to support a life built around silence and prayer.
The monastery is still an active religious community, so visitors are expected to be quiet and respectful throughout the site. It is a good idea to go outside of service times, when access to parts of the complex tends to be easier.
In September 1944 the monks hid civilians and Jewish refugees inside the monastery, and Nazi forces responded by executing twelve members of the community. This episode is remembered locally and gives the site a weight that goes beyond its religious life.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
