San Benedetto Po is a village in the province of Mantua (Lombardy) shaping up with the majestic Polirone Monastery that was found when Tedaldo di Canossa gave some lands to the Black Monks placed between Po and Lirone rivers. 70 years later, his niece, the countess Matilde di Canossa, gave the monastery to the Pope Gregory VII who entrusted it to Cluny Abbey influencing its life, liturgy and architecture definitively. The monastery has been living his most powerful time, becoming an important cultural center, but during the Medieval period it fell down because of a spiritual and economic decadence that lasted until Gonzaga dynasty became the administrators, worrying about its rebirth. During Renaissance, the monastery hosted philosophers, humanists and popular artists like: Giulio Romano, Correggio, Paolo Veronese. The following centuries brought war, depletion and sacks; it was suppressed during Napoleon Age. Nowadays, San Benedetto Po is an important touristic center, part of “Borghi più belli” club thanks to its monastery, the abbey, the centuries-old cloister and the civic Polirone Museum.

Comune di San Benedetto Po
Via Enrico Ferri,79
Lombardia - Italia
www.comune.san-benedetto-po.mn.it