San Giovanni in Fiore Abbey

The San Giovanni in Fiore Abbey (Italian: Abbazia Florense) is an abbey located in the Province of Cosenza, in the Calabria region of southwestern Italy.

The abbey's apse and bell tower.

History

12th century

The abbey's origin date back to Joachim da Fiore's trip to La Sila in Calabria in 1188. Archaeological excavations have shown the presence of Joachim's first edifice, which was finished in 1198, in the Iure Vetere locality. The construction of the abbey was approved by Queen Constance of Hauteville after a Joachim's visit in her court at Palermo.

After Joachim's death in 1202, the first monastery and its annexed edifices were burned by a fire in 1214. The monks decided to abandon the location of Iure Vetere, also due to its difficult climatic situation.

13th century

In 1215 a site not far from the previous one was chosen, near the Neto river valley. The new abbey was completed in 1230, in the Romanesque style. In later centuries features were remodeled in different styles, including a Baroque style church interior.

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