Fruttuaria

Fruttuaria is an abbey on the territory of the municipality of San Benigno Canavese about 20 km north of Turin. It was founded by William of Dijon ( William of Volpiano ). Foundation stone was laid on 23 February 1003 at the presence of Ottobiano, Bishop of Ivrea Arduin, Margrave of Ivrea and King of Italy and his wife Berta. The monastery was completed in 1006/1007. It was under the Benedictine rule in the reformed version of Cluny and gave this as a center of monastic reform movement further, so as to St. Blaise in the Black Forest and in the Abbey of St. Michael in Siegburg. King Arduin retired to the monastery and died here on December 15, 1015 (or October 14, 1014). 1027 imputed Pope John XIX. the monastery his direct supervision.

His greatest heyday the monastery Fruttuaria in the 12th and 13th centuries, a time in which the abbots coined its own money. 1265 had the Abbey 85 churches in Italy alone, also four municipalities, the quattro terre abbaziali San Benigno Canavese, Montanaro, Lombardore and Foglizzo. More goods were in France and Austria. It was occupied at the time of around 1200 monks.

In the 14th century saw the beginning of the decline, in 1477 the monks lost the right to determine their abbot. From now on an abbot was appointed in commendam and a vicar who represented him as a papal concession. 1585 sparked Pope Sixtus V to the monastery and brought into the buildings a seminary under. The last monk died to 1634.

In 1710 Duke Victor Amadeus II of Savoy occupied the terre abbaziali. The occupation ended in 1741 simultaneously with the renunciation of the Pope to the territorial domination. 1749 Carlo Vittorio Amedeo delle Lance to the new abbot in commendam. He left in 1770 to tear the Roman remains of the church and the monastery, was only available to the Campanile, and build according to plans by Bernardo Antonio Vittone and Mario Quarini a new church in the late Baroque style.

1979 were found by working to install a heating system mosaics from the 11th century. Excavations also brought the foundations of the Roman church to light. This work was completed in May 2004.