SHARRYLAND
The monastic complex of the Most Holy Savior at Goleto
An evocative abbey in the heart of Irpinia
Where is
What it is and where it is
There are places of extraordinary beauty, enveloped in a deep spiritual silence and an aura of eternity that spans the centuries, places such as the monastic complex of Santissimo Salvatore al Goleto. It is an abbey surrounded by rolling green hills in the heart of Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, a picturesque village in Irpinia.
Why it is special
The entire monastic complex revolves around two overlying medieval rooms. The first, the lower atrium, consists of two bays separated by two columns on which rests a cross-arched roof. The second is the wonderful upper church dedicated to St. Luke. Outside you can walk through the rooms of the Vaccaro church named after its architect, who built it between 1735 and 1745. Another building of great interest is the Febronia tower - named after the Abbess who had it built in 1152. It is a masterpiece of Romanesque art on two levels, where symbolic bas-reliefs in the Romanesque style are preserved.
Not to be missed
The real centerpiece of the complex is the upper church dedicated to St. Luke, which is accessed by a staircase whose handrail depicts a snake biting an apple. The beautiful two-aisled square chapel with two central columns, ten half-columns inserted into the perimeter walls and covered with ogival crosses, was built to house a relic of St. Luke the Evangelist. It was originally embellished with splendid frescoes from the 13th century, of which only small fragments remain depicting Abbesses Scholastica and Marina and some episodes from the life of St. William.
A bit of history
The monastic complex of the Holy Savior at Goleto was built in 1133 at the behest of William of Vercelli, who had received the land for the construction of the new abbey from Roger. The complex was intended to house a mixed community of nuns and monks, guided by the spiritual authority of the abbess. For several years it was a very important religious center. Beginning in 1348 the slow decline began, and the monastery was in a state of neglect until 1973, when a Benedictine monk settled there. With him the first restoration works began, which slowly allowed the functional recovery of the monastic complex.
Curiosities
The octagonal column bases and capitals decorated with curved leaves in the upper church bear some similarities to the stone elements commissioned by Frederick II at Castel del Monte.
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