Picture this. You are standing before the Monastero di Santa Maria delle Cacce in Pavia. Its history whispers from the very stones.
This isn’t just any monastery. It’s a place steeped in centuries of stories. Founded in the 8th century by a Lombard king either Rachis or Desiderio it housed Benedictine nuns. Initially known as “Santa Maria foris portam” because it lay just outside Pavia’s ancient walls near the eastern gate. It gained its current name in the 14th century possibly due to its location near a royal hunting park.
The monastery’s fortunes soared in the 10th century when it was brought within the city limits. Empress Theophano expanded and rebuilt the buildings granting the monastery privileges and lands. These lands extended particularly to the Oltrepò Pavese region encompassing Montalto Pavese Oliva Gessi and Casteggio. The monastery’s ownership of Mairano near Casteggio lasted until its suppression. It held patronage over numerous churches in these areas.
By the 18th century the monastery remained under the Benedictine order boasting around fifty nuns making it one of Pavia’s leading monasteries. In 1799 like almost all Pavesian monasteries it was suppressed its assets confiscated. Today it houses a middle school named after Felice Casorati.
The monastery church still stands in Via Scopoli. Its 16th-century cloister airy and harmonious now serves as a school building. The original Lombard-era building featured three naves and three apses. 17th-century renovations obscured these features though one ancient Roman marble column remains visible in the modern choir’s north perimeter. The late 17th-century church is a charming Baroque structure fully frescoed in the 16th century. It preserves a small window a column and the crypt of the original Lombard building.
The crypt is divided into three chambers corresponding to the original church’s three apses connected by a transverse corridor with stairs at each end. Its layout differs from the Roman-Gregorian semi-annular crypt model of St Peter’s. Its architecture and antique stylistic choices served as valuable precedent for San Salvatore church in Brescia built by Desiderio and his wife Ansa around 755. Archaeological excavations took place on this site in 1979.
The Monastero di Santa Maria delle Cacce’s story is one of resilience adaptation and survival. It continues to stand as a testament to Pavia’s rich and layered past a beacon of history in the heart of the city. Marvel at its enduring presence. Imagine the lives lived within its walls for over a thousand years.