Certosa di Pavia

The Certosa of Pavia is a monastery located near the town of Pavia in the Italian region of Lombardy and only 40 minutes from Milan.

The construction first started in 1396, in the late Gothic period, but it wasn’t only until the second half of the fifteenth century that the building was completed in the rich Renaissance style that we are lucky to admire today.

The founding patron of the place is Gian Galeazzo Visconti - the first Duke of Milan who wanted it to serve as a private chapel to his noble family.

The architects Marco da Carona, Giacomo da Campione and Giovannino de Grassi who collaborated on the Milan Cathedral, worked on the creation of the church and the materials used for its construction include brick and cut stone.

Giovanni Solari is considered to be the author of all the internal architecture and was later succeeded by his own son Guiniforte.

The rich facade of the church is a true masterpiece with its incredible decorations and details - you’ll be impressed by the thoughtful combination of black and white patterns!

The terminations of the transepts and of the main chapel are remarkable, consisting of square-plan chapels closed on three sides by semi-circular apses, according to a trilobed solution.

The Small and Grand Cloisters will take you to the world of silence and harmony where you can admire beautiful paintings, frescoes and decorations.

The monks live in the Certosa to this day, they take care of the guided tours and sell sacred items and typical local products.

The Museum of the Certosa di Pavia is located right next to the Monastery and it hosts an impressive plaster casts gallery with more than 200 casts.