Rating
5/5 (based on Google user reviews)
Abbey of San Pietro al Monte is an ancient monastic complex of Romanesque style in the town of Civate. The site, presently not occupied by religious, consists of three buildings: the Basilica of San Pietro, the oratory dedicated to St. Benedict, and what was the monastery of which only ruin remain.
According a legend the abbey was founded in 772 AD by Desiderius, the last king of Lombardy. The oldest document dates from the 9th century. The monastery was destroyed in a war between city state of Milan and Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor. The monks returned, but were expelled in 1798.
The buildings were part of the Benedictine abbey complex of Civate, the Basilica of San Calocero and the churches of San Nazario and San Vito. Two stone portals include engravings above them. The frescoes in the basilica of St. Peter, whose theme is the final apotheosis of Christ and the Triumph of the Righteous along the lines of the Apocalypse of St. John, makes it one of the most important Lombard Romanesque testimonies.
Narikala is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Kura River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulphur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. On the lower court there is the recently restored St Nicholas church. Newly built in 1996–1997, it replaces the original 13th-century church that was destroyed in a fire. The new church is of 'prescribed cross' type, having doors on three sides. The internal part of the church is decorated with the frescos showing scenes both from the Bible and history of Georgia.
The fortress was established in the 4th century and it was a Persian citadel. It was considerably expanded by the Umayyads in the 7th century and later, by king David the Builder (1089–1125). Most of extant fortifications date from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1827, parts of the fortress were damaged by an earthquake and demolished.
