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All Italy Padula Certosa di San Lorenzo (Padula Charterhouse)

Certosa di San Lorenzo (Padula Charterhouse)

An omelette made with over 1,000 eggs may have been prepared when Holy Roman Emperor Charles V visited this monastery.

Padula, Italy

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A patio at the charterhouse.   Velvet/CC BY-SA 3.0
A patio at the charterhouse.   Velvet/CC BY-SA 3.0
The town of Padula seen from the cloister of the charterhouse.   Velvet
Certosa di Padula seen from above.   Velvet
The facade of Certosa di Padula.   Velvet
The spiral stair leading to the library.   Marco Bizzarro
Spiral staircase   g_ennea/CC BY SA 2.0
The refectory.   Velvet/CC BY-SA 3.0
The kitchen.   Velvet
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About

The Padula Charterhouse (Certosa di Padula or Certosa di San Lorenzo) is one of Italy's oldest Carthusian monasteries, and also its largest. It is located in southerneastern Campania, in the Cilento National Park. The monastery's cloister is the largest in the world, covering three acres (12,000 square meters).

Founded in 1306, the charterhouse is dedicated to Saint Lawrence, who died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by Roman Emperor Valerian in 258. Many famous figures came to visit the monastery on pilgrimages over its long history. That impressive list included Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who stopped at the charterhouse with his army while returning from his conquest of Tunis in 1535. According to some accounts, a giant omelette made from over 1,000 eggs was prepared during his visit.

After many structural additions, the monastery was closed in 1807, when the Carthusian order was abolished. Many works of art were taken away from the Certosa that was destined to become a barrack. Instead, it was abandoned and occasionally used as a military post, and later as an internment camp during both World Wars. Since 1957 part of the former monastery hosts the archaeological museum of Western Lucania, which preserves a vast collection of various objects found in the nearby necropolis of Padula and Sala Consilina, representing a period ranging from prehistory to the Hellenistic Age.

The charterhouse is divided into two main spaces: one dedicated to work and one to contemplation, according to the Carthusian tradition. Part of the contemplation half of the monastery, a marble spiral staircase leads to the library, with a Vietri ceramic tiled floor. Cloisters and chapels are decorated with fine baroque marble and ceramic works. In the half dedicated to work there are a large kitchen, laundries, cellars, and vast yards.

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Monasteries Monks Christianity Architecture

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The charterhouse is closed on Tuesday. Every other day it is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Added By

StepYoshi

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

May 27, 2020

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Sources
  • https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certosa_di_Padula
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certosa_di_Padula
  • http://www.italianways.com/the-padula-charterhouse/
  • https://fcrc.it/en/certosa-di-padula/
Certosa di San Lorenzo (Padula Charterhouse)
1 Viale Certosa
Padula, 84034
Italy
40.335742, 15.652121
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