Italian
Recovered in Mogliano Veneto the ancient abbey complex. In the summer the event “In the abbey, cinema!”
Mogliano Veneto. The Benedictine abbey of Santa Maria Assunta represents a fundamental reference point for the understanding of the ancient history of Mogliano Veneto. The events of this monastic settlement, which celebrated its first millennium in 1997, have been many and complex, the subject of studies that have highlighted the importance and function of monasticism in medieval Veneto.
The story
The place where the abbey stands is a sacred site destined for religious worship since ancient times. There was indeed a parish church with a baptismal font that attracted the entire population of the surrounding area, as Bishop Rozone wrote. The abandonment of the entire area followed due to the “paganorum gentem“. Then the Benedictines arrived to reclaim the territory.
The foundation of the Abbey of Mogliano took place in 997 by the Bishop of Treviso, Rozone. In the 11th century, it underwent a transformation from a male monastery to a female one, led by an abbess who administered the large properties associated with the monastery. The abbey enjoyed great prestige, owned vast real estate properties, and had jurisdiction over a very large territory that underwent continuous expansions of its possessions over the centuries.
Unfortunately, in the fifteenth century, following historical events and the raids of various troops in the territory of the Marca, it became necessary to transfer the nuns to the monastery of San Teonisto in Treviso, gradually leaving the Moglianese headquarters until its closure. In 1698, the abbey was entrusted to a private individual with a tavern license.
What remains today
The original abbey complex preserves the ancient portico from 1184, which was part of the original conventual cloister.
Only in 1930 did the parish acquire what remains of the cloister and the first recovery interventions began. There is a document attesting to the purchase of the building, already used as an inn, and its restoration for parish use. Comparing photos of the monastery from 1912 and 1931 allows us to verify the condition of the place before and after the renovations.
In 1993, the necessary intervention was carried out to restore the ancient splendor of the portico, bringing to light the ancient painted decorations.
With the various restoration works, the frescoes of the Universal Judgment, probably to be attributed to Filippo da Firenze, which adorned the Chapel of San Benedetto, connected in antiquity to the cloister and the church, have been discovered.
The celebrations for the millennium of the abbey have also highlighted how it has taken on great importance for the community of Mogliano, which recognizes in it its historical and cultural roots. The abbey is also symbolically represented in the city’s banner.
Busan and open-air cinema
For several years now, every summer it has been possible to enjoy the spaces of the cloister by attending the open-air cinema festival curated by Busan, a cinema associated with ACEC Triveneta.
From June to September, the event “In the abbey, cinema!” returns.
The location of the events is the cloister of the historic and wonderful Abbey of Mogliano Veneto.
Photo credits: Pastoral Collaboration, Wikipedia
