Abbazia benedettina di Santa Maria in Sylvis

About the museum

The abbey of Santa Maria in Sylvis was founded between 730 and 735 by Lombard nobles and entrusted to the Benedictines in 762. After devastation by the Hungarians at the end of the 9th century, it was rebuilt from 960 as a fortified monastery, and it still looks like a medieval castle today. From 1420 it passed under the Republic of Venice (la Serenissima) and began to decline; it was held in commendam between 1441 and 1786, and in 1921 the abbatial title was assigned to the parish priest.

Visitors can see the late 15th-century entrance tower, the basilica with a Romanesque-Byzantine plan, the abbot’s palace (today the town hall), the chancellery and the rectory. The basilica houses frescoes in the Giottesque style (1316–1320); a medieval depiction of death appears in the atrium, while the crypt holds the Lombard-period urn of Saint Anastasia, a 15th-century Pietà and an early 14th-century Annunciation. In the entrance loggia, chivalric cycles featuring Charlemagne are painted.

The lapidary museum houses materials that emerged from restorations and excavations carried out in the complex in the second half of the 20th century. Its core consists of early medieval sculptures, among the largest in the region: fragments of a ciborium, presbytery screen elements such as pergulae, plutei and colonnettes, and capitals. Other finds document the history of the site from Roman times onward.

Highlights

• Basilica with frescoes in the Giottesque style (1316–1320)
• Crypt with the urn of Saint Anastasia and a 15th-century Pietà
• Lapidary museum with early medieval sculptures, among the largest in Friuli
• Fortified complex with a late 15th-century entrance tower
• Chivalric fresco cycles with Charlemagne in the entrance loggia

Operated by

Parrocchia / Abbazia di Santa Maria in Sylvis

Visitors per year

approx. 50,000

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission (donations welcome); guided tours are booked by phone or through the abbey office.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the regional tourism portal, the complex is partially accessible to people with disabilities.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Bookshop at the abbey.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit