Monastery of Santa Monica (Crema)

The Church and the Monastery of Santa Monica They are the place of worship and the Catholic female cenobio of Crema which was established in 1451 was suppressed in 1810 ^[first]

In 1451 a female monastic order was established for Crema for girls from noble families: […] Verginelle de Boljini Dresses Dish of Terni, et De Zurli has rental information […]. ^[2] , young women who a little for spontaneous vocation and a little for the imposition of families, chose to live a cloistered life that could offer cultural and theological training suitable for education received in the family. Many families sent their daughters to convents for financial reasons, wanting to prevent the assets from being able to thwart dividing to the heirs.

It was at the order of Sant’Agostino, that the female cenobio was inspired. In the city thanks to the Reformation reform of Lombardy of 1439 the order had re -evaluated with the Augustinian male monastery, which maintained the original spirit of the saint of humility, chastity and poverty. The poverty of the nuns, initially, was particularly hard: “The Augustinian nuns were first lived – they lived – in cream very poorly, so much so that the municipality had to submit them to money several times” ^[3] .

The community was strongly desired by the Vicar General Agostino da Crema who, by peroing the cause at the Pope Niccolò V, obtained on March 23, 1451, the Foundation taking on its direction and representing it in the general chapter as the first female congregation integrated in the Augustinian one. Initially were six nuns who were welcomed by the canonical Gennaro at the church of the Holy Trinity next to the carries shadow : “For good, educate the girls in the rule and introduce the discipline already in practice elsewhere, five nuns came from Milan and a abbess, which also entered the house of the canon Gennaro, waiting for the monastery to be completed” ^[4] . In 1495 there were thirty -six including Serafina, the daughter of the leader Bartolino da Terni.

On March 15, 1458 a bubble of Pope Pius II authorized the sale of some buildings for a value of 700 chamber gold shields, and the construction of a cloistered monastery for the Augustinian nuns with the use of the church of San Giorgio who Historically it belonged to the prepositing of San Martino of Palazzo Pignano. For the primary needs of the nuns there was the contribution of Bianca Maria Visconti who had had a collaborative relationship with Cazzuli for years, and who also thought of the cost for the construction of the convent. From many sides, contributions came for its realization, among these the testamentary legacy of Giorgio De Capitani, originally aimed at the construction of a city hospital, worth 200 florins, while the Venetian government exempted the monastery from paying the duties for eight years .

The sources are uncertain about the year of construction of the Church, which if for the historian Zavaglio there was a partial reconstruction of the church of San Giorgio in 1481, the Lucchi identified a full refurbishment in 1485. Of course for its completion, the nuns They were forced to ask for an advance of their dowry who allowed in 1678 to adorn a marble tabernacle. The monastic complex with the church occupied the space freed with the demolition of the Castle of Ombriano, with via Casazza who connected it to the gardens. ^[5]

L’acomia [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

In the convent the young daughters of nobles and rich citizens were welcomed, Benvenuti reports: “They hardly admitted novizes that they were not kindness obtaining the economic support favored by the statutes and merchants. In addition, the novices had to deliver a rich dowry that if it had not been immediately paid, jewelry and properties were requested in pledge ^[6] . This explains why the monastery economy was over time, more and more flourishing. Despite the inferiority of the female condition of the time, the nuns managed to develop a system not only of sustenance but also of wealth. ^[7]

The nuns undertook an intense work activity with the cultivation of vegetables and confectionery products that had a great resonance in the town, the population thought that the products of the nuns were not only good but could also do well to the soul. The abbess was recalled by Bishop Faustino Giuseppe Griffoni who reminded her of the ban on trade of any product of proper production if not for the sick and sick. However, the convent had had the previous authorization of Bishop Marcantonio Zollio to move the oven from the internal premises, outside that it could be used by the inhabitants in exchange for a payment.
There were many activities of the convent, it is clear that A mill over the rino, where it flows in their homes between their monistery and the road of Ombriano, and where in the present it is covered by a face of reason of them nuns, offering to make it crash it rino in perpetual, and to conduct the matter from the said Molino to the mouth of it Rino what is little above their monistery without any expense for the city . Having obtained this privilege, of a roggia that passed by the monastery, allowed the construction of a mill that brought water to both the gardens and personal uses. A great wealth for the monastery, which seems to have also been equipped with a press for the production of wine or for the flax seeds of produced an oil which, although not high quality, served both for culinary uses and medicines. In 1496 a fire was documented that created serious damage to the press.

Not all the young people who entered the convent took the votes, some were guests until the moment of contracting marriage, always after a good contribution to the convent, while the novices had to pay the dowry at least three days before the chapter accepted the entrance. The dowry was not always in the form of money but also owned by these there are many documents:

In 1810, after four hundred years of history, following the Napoleonic suppressions, the monastery was closed, the nuns offered returned to the families of origin and the premises of the convent with the church completely destroyed. ^[8]

The miracle of Santa Monica [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

The convent enjoyed respect as well as devotion by the town that frequently resorted to it with offers in exchange for prayers. An event of particular importance took place on July 19, 1712, with the miraculous Healing by Sister Maria Rosa Scotti. This had been attempted for some time, the attending physician, Dr. Giuseppe Vimercati, found no remedy for his healing. The crucifix was then brought to the shell bed that was in the cenobium of the monastery. The sick immediately had improvements, so much so that on June 10, a day dedicated to San Pantaleo, the nun was able to get up and the doctor could see that he was completely healed. ^[9]

• Elena Bandei, The monastery of Santa Monica in Crema , Municipality of Crema.
• F. S. Benvenuti, History of Crema , I-II, Milan, 1859.
• Gabriele Lucchi, The diocese of Crema , Cream, features of religious history, 1980.
• I. Lasagni, Churches, convents, and cream monasteries , Milan, Extra Moenia, 2008.
• Female monasteries in Crema , Cream, documents of the Diocesan Historical Archive, 2003.
• G. Salomon, Summary of the most notable things contained in 40 books and provisions of the city of Crema from 15/11/1449 to 30/2/1684 , Municipal Library of Crema.