Chiaravalle Abbey, Cistercian abbey in Milan, Italy
Chiaravalle Abbey is a medieval Cistercian monastery on the southern outskirts of Milan in Italy. The complex includes a church with three naves, cross vaulting, and a slender bell tower that rises above the surrounding fields.
Bernard of Clairvaux sent a group of monks to Milan, who founded this monastery in 1135. The community later drained the surrounding land through a canal system and turned marshes into workable fields.
The refectory displays a fresco of the Madonna and Child surrounded by saints, which visitors can view today. Monks once prayed here following the Cistercian Rule, and the simplicity of the vaulted ceilings still reflects that austere tradition.
The monastery sits several kilometers outside central Milan and is accessible by city buses. Visitors should plan to come on weekday mornings or afternoons, on weekends only in the afternoon.
The ceiling of the choir holds a wooden crucifix from the 14th century that floats above the altar. Below it, visitors can still see the original walnut choir stalls where monks carved their names.
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