Pomposa Abbey

Pomposa is a former abbey of the Benedictine Order at the mouth of the Po in northern Italy. It is located on the territory of the municipality in the province of Ferrara Codigoro.

Already in the 6th century there was a small church on the site. From about the middle of the 9th century, settled the first Benedictine monks; the first documented reference dates from the year 847 the monastery benefited from its location on a fertile, by two arms of the Po surrounded island near the " strada romea " between Ravenna and Rome. As in many other areas also, with monks, true to its motto "ora et labora" true pioneer. A flourishing agriculture was the result.

The monastery quickly became one of the most important religious and cultural centers of Italy and reached the year 1000 its greatest splendor. In this phase, the spiritual, political and legislative power of the respective abbot included all the surrounding communities.

The highlight of her cultural and spiritual development had the Abbey when her board of St. Guido degli Strambiati. This abbot led into the lives of over 100 monks a great severity. Another personality who lived at this time in the Abbey, Guido, a monk of the same name was ( also known as " Guido of Arezzo " because he later stopped a long time in this city ). He is the inventor of modern musical notation.

A natural disaster ushered in the decline of Pomposa: In 1152 the Po broke through in a flood of Ferrara above the dams, shifting his bed. As a result, swampy the area around the abbey, and the mosquito-transmitted malaria decimated the population. In 1235 were still alive 20, 1306 even only 10 monks in the monastery.

In the following centuries, the monastery was always subordinated to other abbeys, who transferred many art treasures and furnishings in their own walls. 1663 the monastery was dissolved, in 1671 left the last monks the abbey. The church was first parish church until it was sold to the French Revolution to a private individual who used the monastery buildings for agriculture. Between 1920 and 1930, the privately owned parts were dispossessed and restored the monastery, which the abbey took its present form.

The Abbey is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. The church was built in 751-874 as a three-aisled basilica without transept along the lines of some churches from neighboring Ravenna. In many places spolia were used. In 1026 the church was re-consecrated after extensive enhancements. In front of her is a short time afterwards built porch.

The interior is divided by pillars that resemble recognizable models from Ravenna, with elaborate capitals in three ships. Especially valuable are the floor mosaics that date from different periods are (mostly from the period around 1150 ), and in addition to geometric elements and plant and animal motifs.

In the apse there is a fresco of 1351, representing the Christ surrounded by angels, saints and Mary and Vitale da Bologna is attributed. On the walls, including one recognizes the evangelists, and some church teachers and scenes from the life of Hl.Eustachius.

The upper side walls of the nave are continuously decorated with frescoes of the Bolognese school of the 14th century. In the upper parts of scenes from the Old and the New Testament and in the lower scenes from the Book of Revelation can be seen.

The opposite wall of the apse shows a multi-layered representation of the Last Judgement. However, the overall impression of the interior is greatly disturbed by the retaining walls, the (probably from the 18th century until 1858) to complete the aisles and the entrance hall. They were built for stability reasons and subsequently verunklaren the spatial impression of a three-aisled basilica.

Attention deserves the porch, not because of their architecture, but because of their design. The color pattern is obtained from bricks of different red to yellow. Another ornament eight terracotta bowls are immured. Outstanding are the two round windows. Your ornament made ​​of natural stone is unique and goes back to oriental origins. ( The area of Ravenna belonged to the 8th century. Eastern Roman to Byzantine, things art has greatly influenced )

Next to the church stands the 48 -meter-high bell tower. It was built in 1063 by architect Deusdedit who had his name immortalized on a plaque at the Western Wall. The tower has typical characteristics of Lombardy. Towards the top, the windows are more numerous and wider. This gives the building a special lightness and aspires to the height, which is underlined by the high top round roof. In the walls of the Tower of red and yellow stone can be seen in turn rare shells of ceramic, on which trees, fish, birds and flowers are shown. Eighteen of these shells are believed to date from Mediterranean countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Sicily.

Unlike the Church of the monastery buildings are largely destroyed. In the former dormitory of the Abbey over the chapter house is a museum. On display are several relics that were discovered on the site, and the remains of restoration works that have contributed significantly to the reconstruction of complex construction history of the monastery and the church in particular. The pieces include inscriptions, marble works, rare stucco of the original decoration of the church, majolica, utensils and parts of older frescoes.

The chapter house is in the background of the former cloister. It is decorated with frescoes of the 14th century that show a crucifixion, the Founder Benedict and St. Guido, Abbot of Pomposa and monochrome representations of prophets on the side walls.

In a second wing of the building is the former refectory. On the opposite side ( at the present entrance to the monastery ), is the " Palazzo della Ragione " in which the case-law of the fief was exercised. As the building from the beginning did not have religious function, it was separated from the actual monastery.