A timeless place, a destination for religious people and scholars of symbolism and esotericism. One of the most important architectural works of Southern Italy which, with its grandiose mass, dominates the landscape.
The Goleto Abbey is considered among the most important and interesting monastic complexes and monuments in southern Italy, with the large tower, the upper and lower floors, the cloister and the internal garden. Full of strange signs and symbols, not only Christian or religious.
Originally it was a male and female monastery which reached the height of its splendor in the Norman-Swabian era and at the beginning of the Angevin era. The primitive structure included the Church, the large Monastery of the Nuns and the smaller one of the Monks.
It was built at the behest of San Guglielmo da Vercelli in 1133, who assigned it to a religious community of monks and nuns, whose maximum authority was identified in the role of the abbess.
Despite the wear and tear of time, the vandalism of men and the succession of earthquakes, still today we can admire some artistic treasures that made Goleto famous.
Particularly important is the Febronia Tower, a true masterpiece of Romanesque art. It features numerous blocks with bas-reliefs from a Roman mausoleum.
Furthermore, today at the center of the monastic complex, the two small overlapping churches are preserved, which mark the transition between Romanesque art (lower church, around 1200) and Gothic art (upper church, finished in 1255).
Chapel of St. Luke
It is the jewel of the Abbey. It is reached by an external staircase whose parapet ends with a handrail in the shape of a snake with a knob in its mouth.
Lower atrium
At the center of the monastic complex, two overlapping medieval rooms are preserved, which mark the transition between Romanesque and Gothic art.
The Church of Vaccaro
It takes its name from the great Neapolitan architect Domenico Antonio Vaccaro, who built it between 1735 and 1745. Although today it lacks the roof and other important parts, it nevertheless retains an incredible charm. The plan is a Greek cross, surmounted by a central dome. Inside, only a few stuccos were saved, while the design of the floor, recently restored, can be admired in all its beauty.
Febronia Tower
It takes its name from the Abbess who in 1152 ordered its construction for the defense of the monastery. A true masterpiece of Romanesque art, it features numerous blocks with bas-reliefs from a Roman mausoleum dedicated to Marco Paccio Marcello.
The Tower had two floors and the second was accessed via a drawbridge. In the upper part there are some symbolic sculptures, characteristic of Romanesque art.
Farmhouses
From 1807 to 1973 the monastery remained abandoned and the appeals of some for the recovery of the venerated monument were in vain. Thus anyone was able to steal portals and stones, the roofs and walls collapsed, the brambles became undisputed masters together with animals of all kinds. Only the farmers’ hamlets continued their secular life.
The History
The Abbey was founded in the 12th century. from San Guglielmo da Vercelli, also responsible for the construction of the Montevergine Monastery. Born as a female convent, the building was for about two centuries an important center of spiritual life until 1348, the year in which the black plague spread, which marked the beginning of a slow decline that ended with the decision of Pope Julius II (1506) to suppress the structure upon the death of the last abbess.
The complex thus passed to a male monastic order which brought it back to life. A progressive recovery then began which culminated between the 17th and 18th centuries, with the total restoration of the complex and the construction of a church, the work of Domenico Antonio Vaccaro.
During the Napoleonic suppressions the Abbey was abandoned (1808) and the remains of San Guglielmo were moved to the nearby monastery of Montevergine; the spoliation led to the dispersion of many furnishings and works.
The Abbey can be visited freely without an appointment:
For those who want a Guide you can contact the Rector Don Salvatore.
Via San Guglielmo
Goleto location
Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi (Avellino)
Campania – Italy
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