The Abbey of Frassinoro was one of the many

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

associated with the noblewoman

Matilda of Tuscany Matilda of Tuscany ( it, Matilde di Canossa , la, Matilda, ; 1046 – 24 July 1115 or Matilda of Canossa after her ancestral castle of Canossa), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as th ...

, who reigned over the Badia lands near Frassinoro. This abbey was located in

Frassinoro Frassinoro ( Frignanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southwest of Bologna and about southwest of Modena. References External links Official website See also * ...

, in the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

in the province of

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

, on the border with

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...

History

It is believed that the original church dates back to the Italian-

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

period in the 7th-10th centuries. At the end of the 8th century, there was a small church under the administration of the

pieve In the Middle Ages, a pieve (, ; la, plebe, link=no; plural ''pievi'') was a rural church with a baptistery, upon which other churches without baptisteries depended. The Italian word ''pieve'' is descended from Latin ''plebs'' which, after th ...

(parish) of Rubbiano; the former had been in existence since the time of Siegfried I, Longobard founder of the Canossa dynasty, or about 930 AD. The chapel was located along the ancient via Bibulca which went through the San Pellegrino Pass in order to arrive to

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

, a destination for pilgrims who came to worship the "Holy Face". Between 1007 and 1052, a hostel for travelers was annexed to the church, and was then placed under the Abbey of Polirone, near

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

. In 1072, Beatrice of Lotharinga or

Beatrice of Bar Beatrice of Bar (also ''Beatrix''; c. 1020 – 18 April 1076) was the marchioness of Tuscany by marriage to Boniface III of Tuscany, and Regent of Tuscany from 1052 until her death, during the minority of and in co-regency with, her daughter Mat ...

and her daughter Matilda of Canossa (also called Matilda of Tuscany), gave the relics of Saint Claudius, a martyr, to this Benedictine convent. The highest period of splendor for this abbey was when Beatrice of Lotharingia founded a Benedictine abbey; thereafter, its history got confused with that of the abbey in the nearby town of Montefiorino. From 1210 to 1261, the abbey was at the center of several disputes with the municipality of Modena for control of the territory.

The site today

All that remains of the abbey are a few liturgical objects from the 11th and 12th centuries, some of which are kept in the Civic Museum of Modena. Built on the old foundations of the abbey, which fell into ruin in the 15th century, stands the present church of

dedicated to

Santa Maria Assunta Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

of San Claudio and

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

References

Benedictine monasteries in Italy Matilda of Tuscany {{Christian-monastery-stub