Abbey of San Pietro al Monte

Complex of Abbazia di San Pietro al Monte
Stucco relief on the ciborium at the abbey
Abbey of San Pietro al Monte

The Abbey of San Pietro al Monte is a small medieval monastic complex mostly dating to the 11th century, in Lombard Romanesque style, on a hill outside the town of Civate, province of Lecco, in northern Italy.

Founded in 796 as a small hermitage by the Lombard king Desiderius, the complex was considerably expanded in the 11th century, and then left alone in terms of major building and decorating. It was secularized in the aftermath of the French Revolution. Its 11th-century features remain very largely intact, including many frescos and carved reliefs.

In 2016 it was added to the "tentative" list to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of a group of eight Italian medieval Benedictine monasteries, representing "The cultural landscape of the Benedictine settlements in medieval Italy".[1]

Detail of the frescos, 1090s