Giacomo Resta

Review of Praglia Abbey

Built between the eleventh and twelfth centuries a...

Built between the eleventh and twelfth centuries at the foot of Mount Lonzina, the Benedictine monastery is the most important place of spirituality in the Euganean Hills.
It is divided into four communicating cloisters:
the rustic cloister, once reserved for agricultural activities;
the botanical cloister, with an Italian garden;
the hanging cloister, on the first floor, connecting the rooms intended for community life: the chapter house, the refectory, the library, the church;
the cloister of the cloister, built on two floors, of which the upper houses the cells and the private spaces of the monks (not open to visitors).
The church, dedicated to S. Maria Assunta, was rebuilt between 1490 and 1550 with a Latin cross plan and three naves. The apse, the dome and the side chapels are decorated with frescoes and paintings by Venetian painters from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Giotto school crucifix from the first half of the 1400s, painted in tempera on both sides, is valuable.
The Romanesque bell tower is the only original construction left.
The visits, led by one of the monks, take place from 15:30 to 17:30 (summer time) except on Mondays and public holidays.
In the rooms on the right of the guesthouse, the products of the monastic community are on sale: cosmetics, herbal teas, herbal remedies, honey, wines.