Abbey of Santa Maria in Vezzolano

Benedictine Monastery Nestled in a Green Valley, is certainly the most remarkable testimony of Romanesque-Gothic art in Piedmont.
In the guesthouse is the view Matter and Invention Romanesque sculpture in Monferrato (from March to November: sat and Sun, Open in winter for groups on reservation).

According to a legend, the Foundation of the Church dates back to Charlemagne; According to the most reliable version, the Emperor in the year 773 was hunting in the forest of Vezzolano, When he would suddenly appeared three skeletons come out from a tomb, giving him a considerable scare. Aided by a hermit and invited to pray to the Virgin Mary, He wanted to build on the site of an Abbey Church appearance.
According to a historical reconstruction you can think of that was already in the Lombard era and was later enlarged enjoying ever more fame and wealth.

In the 10th century the Abbey was destroyed by the Saracens, rebuilt and in 1002 donated by the King of Italy Arduino to Oddone of Bruzolo that he bequeathed to his descendants which ceded into 1095 the charge of Vezzolano. The Abbey was inhabited by monks until the early 1800s, during the Napoleonic domination.

Currently the Abbey is composed of a church with the Bell Tower, the cloister and the Chapter House to represent the alternation of some stylistic moments between Gothic and the Romanesque.
The stone arenaria and the brick are used here to mark the architectural style of the Abbey, based on bichrome bands alternate.
The construction of the Church was completed in 1189, suffering later some substantial restructuring measures especially in the Gothic era. The façade originally had three portals, only two are still visible, is typically Romanesque and offers the vision at the top a terracotta cladding alternated with stone horizontal bands.
Presents three blind galleries, less central, interrupted by a bifora, with small columns, and remember the architectural motifs Pisa and Lucca. Now it is done and that the left is murata, but still a nice decorated Lunette.

The Portal principal is very rich, with small square pillars decorated with vegetal and geometric motifs as well as the capitals: the Lunette depicts the Virgin enthroned with two Angels. The facade It is decorated with three orders of small columns, centred around a large mullioned window, beautiful composition that revolves around the figure of Christ and flanked by two archangels: Michael and Raphael, armed with Lance and sword, respectively. Above the window is a Pronaos which two Angels with a candle in hand alternating with three medallions in polychrome ceramics. Over again, there are two Sai on a wheel and at the top is placed in a niche the bust of Christ blessing.

The campanile in Romanesque style with bows, It was rebuilt at the top and is located at the top left of the Abbey, whose interior is of Romanesque-Gothic forms with French influences. He is currently reduced to only two aisles, Since the right was forfeited in the cloister: so there are only two apses, Since the right has given way to the Chapter House.

The times are acute costolonati arch and nave is divided by a intramezzo finely decorated on the rood screen model typical of many French churches. The building rests on five pointed arches and is instoriato with two superimposed orders of polychrome sculptural decorations: at the bottom is a series of Patriarchs, While in the upper part you can see episodes from the life of Mary: Deposition, Recruitment, Triumph in the Skies, borgognana School of the late 12th century.

L’high altar brings in a Tabernacle,a valuable colored terracotta triptych dating from the mid-15th century, While behind, on either side of the central window are two Romanesque bas-reliefs, very attractive, Stone represented the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary. At the end of the right aisle there is a connecting door with small cloister very nice, with arcades of different architectural setting: at the entrance you can see a lunette with a Gothic fresco representing the Virgin enthroned flanked by two Angels.

Following are a series of frescoes of considerable interest: among them you can see Christ among the symbols of the evangelists, The adoration of the magi with a devout presented by an Angel, a deceased in red robe sprawled , and the contrast of the three living and the three dead. The last fresco was probably represent the legend of Charlemagne and skeletons defectors from the Tomb.

Other frescoes, only partly, represent the crucifixion and probably a different version of Carolingian legend. Collectively these paintings in the early 1990s object of a restoration, represent one of the most interesting 14th century Italian paintings.

The next side of the cloister consists of arcades built on cylindrical pillars, alternating with small columns, While the next one shows fewer arches that rest on polygonal pillars and the last stylistic contrasts instead appear as a polygonal pillars and Romanesque mullioned Windows.

In the corner next to the entrance to the cloister leads to the Chapter House with a door flanked by two mullioned Windows: in the room was a permanent photographic exhibition, designed to illustrate the rich typology of the Romanesque churches of Asti.

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