Montescaglioso (Matera)
Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo, Montescaglioso
The Benedictine abbey of San Michele Arcangelo dominates the upper part of Montescaglioso, on the hill where the acropolis of the ancient town once stood. It is the largest of the four monastic complexes that gave Montescaglioso its nickname, «città dei monasteri» (the “city of monasteries”).
- Opening hoursOpening times: please check with the Comune di Montescaglioso.
- AdmissionTo be confirmed with the operator.
- WherePiazza del Popolo – 75024 Montescaglioso (MT)
History
The abbey is documented from 1079, when the Benedictines replaced the communities of Greek-rite monks. In the late Middle Ages it fell into ruin, and at the end of the 15th century it was rebuilt by the Benedictine Congregation of Santa Giustina of Padua, which rebuilt the church and the first cloister. In the following centuries the monks added colonnades, new buildings and cycles of frescoes. In 1784 the community moved to Lecce, and the abbey lost part of its artworks, its library and its archive. At the beginning of the 19th century the monastery passed to the Comune (town council).
What to see
- The two Renaissance cloisters, with their loggias and the well in the centre.
- The abbot’s library, with frescoed walls and vaults.
- The bell tower and the portal of the abbey church.
- The museum of peasant art and the ethnographic collection, housed in the rooms of the monastery.
Useful information
- The abbey also hosts a visitor centre of the Parco della Murgia Materana (Murgia Materana Park), from which you can descend towards the lower part of the gravina (ravine).
- The abbey has been included several times in the FAI’s «I Luoghi del Cuore» census (Places of the Heart) and served as a set for the film Moschettieri del re.
- A few steps away are the Chiesa Madre dei Santi Pietro e Paolo and the monastero della Santissima Concezione.
