• ST. MARY'S ABBEY

• Viale dell'Indipendenza 3, 40050 Monteveglio

• CALL

• The Church of the Assumption of St. Mary is open daily from 6 am to noon and from 3-7.30 pm. The 15th century cloister of the Abbey can be visited Sundays and holidays from 3-5 pm.

• For guided tours of the Church or the Abbey, contact the Community of Brothers of St. Francis, tel. +390516707931.

• The present-day church was built between the 11th and 12th centuries on the foundations of a more ancient, pre-9th century structure, of which some of the oldest parts are still visible in the crypt and the aspes. The abbey itself, equally old, was commissioned by Mathilda of Tuscany for monastic use in the 11th century. As soon as it was erected, it was assigned to the Canons Regular of St. Fredianus of Lucca, an ancient Augustinian Rule congregation formed in about 556. The Canons arrived in Monteveglio between 1092 and 1100, and remained for 350 years. In 1455, the Canons Regular of St. Fredianus were replaced by Lateran Canons, another, very similar branch of the Augustine Order. The Laterans also remained at the abbey for 350 years, being finally displaced by Napoleon's invasion in 1796. A few years ago the abbey was briefly inhabited by the community of Giuseppe Dossetti. Currently it is home to the Community of the Brothers of St. Francis. Both the church and the monastery of Monteveglio were restored by the architect Giuseppe Rivani, with work ongoing from 1925 to 1934. The interventions involved the entire monumental complex, eliminating later additions to rediscover the original architecture.