SHARRYLAND
Abbey of Morimondo
Imposing monastery and a delightful hamlet of farmsteads in the Ticino valley
Where is
What is Morimondo Abbey and where is it?
It is part of the circuit of abbeys in southern Milan. It is an imposing monastery built on several levels on the edge of a delightful hamlet of farmsteads in the Ticino valley. It consists of a large abbey church, cloister and some service rooms. Around it, on what used to be the monastery's cottages, the hamlet was born. It is entered through an arch while another arch gives access to the monastery.
Why it is special: the mighty architecture of the church
The church is made of terracotta, as are all churches in the Lower Lombardy region, a choice determined by the lack of other building materials. Beautiful are the hanging arches and single-light windows; the little porch is an 18th-century addition. The interior, freed from the eighteenth-century superstructures, has regained the simplicity and austerity desired by the Cistercians, large brick columns delimiting the three naves, ogive vaults and, as decoration, the brick ribs, but above all the play of light entering in bundles from the rose window or the windows of the apse, depending on the time of day. A truly evocative spectacle.
Don't miss: the church's works of art and the Lombard countryside
Not to be missed are the choir, unfortunately unapproachable, the beautiful Madonna from the school of Luini on the right, next to the door leading into the cloister, and the chapter house with its slender bundled columns. Also worth a walk is the village, made up of restored and well-kept farmsteads, with small flower gardens, vegetable gardens, hanging laundry and ... garden dwarfs. If you have time, don't also miss a ride along the paths that cross this typical Lombard countryside where the landscape of fountains and marshlands bordered by rows of poplars and alders survives.
A bit of history
Arriving in the area in 1134 from their mother house in Morimond, Cistercian monks founded the abbey that took its name from them. The meaning is "to die to the world" in order to be reborn to new life, as those who enter a monastery do. In 1799 the monastery was suppressed. Today it belongs to the municipality, which has made it a museum.
Fun fact: Morimondo and the cinema.
Morimondo has been a film set for a number of Italian movies. The latest in order of time was "Cado dalle nubi." Checco Zalone moved from the South to Milan, unable to break through as a singer he finds himself teaching music to difficult kids. The lessons take place in the very cloister of Morimondo.
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