The Benedictine Olivetan Abbey dedicated to Saints Nicholas and Paul VI is without doubt the best-known religious complex in Franciacorta.
It was founded in 1090 by Cluniac monks and is part of the European Cluniac tour.
Transferred to the Olivetans in 1446, it was rebuilt between 1450 and 1534, when it became a Renaissance-style abbey. Brescia’s leading painters of the time, including Gambara, Romanino, Moretto, Da Marone and Cossali, contributed to its transformation. The Napoleonic laws suppressed it in 1797, but in 1969, at the behest of Pope Paul VI a large-scale restoration project got underway, which saw the return of the Olivetan monks.
The imposing monastic complex, consisting of three cloisters adjoining the church and important bible-themed fresco cycles, can be visited every day except Monday, from 9am to 11:30am and from 3:30pm to 5pm.