Autunno a Venezia: 10/08/22

We have lost our perspective on what is normal in the morning, but suspect we are in a rather leisurely mode these days. We are sleeping until 8:00 or even 9:00.......which we never do at home. We are finding ourselves heading down for breakfast approaching 9:30 or 10:00. We suspect that is evidence of falling into a pattern of relaxation and 'stress-avoidance' if that is possible!

Our plan for the day was to check out an old monastery and head down to the center of Iseo, which is one of the small towns on the bank of Lago d'Iseo......about 7 miles from L'Albereta. But it is a long 7 miles on some beautiful back roads through the vineyards.

view from our bedroom

MONASTERY OF SAN PIETRO IN LAMOSA

This was an amazing find that was unexpected. It is a monastery that was started in the 13th century, and while it was adapted over the years, there are some very nice remnants of 15th century frecoes to observe. Before 1083, for hundreds of years, this place was probably seen and experienced by man as sacred, due to its position and its geographical characteristics, and was the seat of first pagan and then Christian cults. A few decades before 1083 a private church of the feudal de Ticengo family was erected on the area of the monastery. From 1083 to 1535, the small church, donated to the Cluniac monks of the abbey of Cluny, was transformed into a monastery which carried out important religious, economic, social-welfare and cultural functions.

From 1535 to 1783, the monastery was acquired by the canons regular of San Salvatore di Brescia, who thought of building the chapel in front of the entrance. The prestige previously acquired and the 'Roman' character some new managers favored his election as the parish church of Provaglio. From 1783 to today, the monastery has been almost continuously the private property of the Bergomi family (which later became Bonini-Bergomi); now an important portion belongs to the Valgoglio-Beretta family.

There is a lot of strange history to the site, most prolificall including the stories of the 'Disciplina' commitments to its worshipers. It initially arose as a small church, just after the year 1000, when Europe came out of medieval lethargy and gave rise to the development that involved the whole world. So much so that the church, which almost immediately passed to the most authoritative monastic order of the time, the Cluniac one, grew rapidly and became a monastery.

In 1536 it became the property of the regular canons of San Salvatore di Brescia and the church was definitively enlarged with the addition of a chapel. From this building there is access to a beautiful cloister and from it to the Discipline of Santa Maria Maddalena, so called because it was the place where the Confraternity of Disciplini met, a movement that practiced rigid practices of mortification of the body to atone for sins.

Let us be clear here.......this was the practice of self-flagelation.......which is discussed openly in the review of the 'disciplina' room......hard to imagine, but not so much if you have seen or read the 'DaVicni Code' This is crazy, eye-opening stuff!!!