Nonantola is one of the many anonymous and seemingly
uninteresting little towns that fill the Pianora Padana. I have passed through
it many times without stopping on my way to work appointments. I was told some
time ago that it had an abbey that was well worth visiting. The Modena
earthquake meant I had to put my visit off for quite a long time.
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| Abbazia di Nonantola,MO |
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| Abbazia di Nonantola,MO |
The Abbey of Nonatola has recently reopened
after a long restoration made necessary by the 2012 earthquake. It was once one
of Italy’s most important monasteries. It features prominently in the Lombard
domination of the area, with a strong connection to Matilde of Canossa.
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| Entrance, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Entrance, Abbazia di Nonantola,MO |
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| Entrance, Abbazia di Nonantola,MO |
It was founded in 752, but the incredibly
sober and simple Romanic church we see today dates from 1013. The impact of the
architecture on entering the building is quite something. The building was returned
to its original state in the nineteenth century, when the Baroque additions
were stripped out. In the crypt, you can see the bones of Saint Anselmo, the
founder of the abbey, preserved as a relic.
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| Abbazia di Nonatola, MO |
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| Abbazia di Nonantola,MO |
The Presbytery is on a higher level than
the rest of the church. This is typical of basilicas of the Romanic period. At
the top of the stairs you turn a see the main part of the church below you.
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| Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
On entering the crypt, one of the largest
in Europe, one is confronted by a forest of columns. It is very suggestive. The
crypt was buried in the fifteenth century due to infiltration of ground water. It
was restored in the last century and many of the columns are replacements. Some
of the original capitals survive.
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| Cripta, Abbazia di Nanontala, MO |
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| Cripta, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Cripta, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Relic of St. Anselmo, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Cripta, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Cripta, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Cripta, Abbazia di Nonantola,MO |
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| Cripta, Abbazia di Nonantola,MO |
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| Cripta, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Cripta, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Cripta, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
In the Nave an intricately carved marble
Roman fountain has been repurposed as a font. It is one of the few decorations
in this church.
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| Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
The big surprise of the visit was the
contents of the small museum next to the church. One section of the museum has
some parchment documents on display which date from between the ninth and twelfth
century. They are remarkably well preserved considering their age. There is a
lovely colourful Evangeliary on
display that dates from the eleventh century. It is incredible to think that these
documents are more than a thousand years old in some cases.
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| Parchment, Abbazia di Nonantola,MO |
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| Parchment signed by Matilda di canossa, Abbazia di Nonantola,MO |
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| Parchment, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Parchment, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Evangeliary, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Byzantine funeral shroud, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Bysantine funeral shroud, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Bysantine funeral shroud, Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Abbazia di Nonantola, mO |
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| Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
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| Abbazia di Nonantola, MO |
Nonantola is just another
example of the hidden suprises to be found in out of the way places here in
Italy.
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| Nonantola,MO |
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| Nonantola, MO |
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