Abbey of Santa Giustina, Sezzadio

HISTORY: Built, according to tradition, in 722 by the Lombard king Liutprando, it was completely renovated in 1030 thanks to the Marquis of Sezzadio Otberto, who added a monastery to it, later entrusted to the Benedictine monks. The prestige of the complex grew steadily over time, reaching its peak between the 11th and 12th centuries. A phase of decline followed. Entrusted to the abbots of Sant'Ambrogio di Milano, its possessions were dismembered in the Napoleonic age, and the part with the church was purchased at the end of the 19th century and transformed into a private residence. The church remains of the original complex, austere and simple, which preserves the Romanesque lines of the 11th century.
EXTERIOR: The tripartite facade, originally with salient features, has a tower in the central area, added in the 15th century. The surface is divided vertically by 8 pilasters that mitigate the mass and decorated in the upper part by hanging arches. The portal is very simple, without any stone or marble ornament.
The plant has a commissal cross, that is T-shaped. The transept in fact protrudes a lot and the three apses are grafted directly on its eastern side, which appear almost like towers that emerge, cylindrical, from the flat surface of the back wall.main source: archeocarta.org/sezzadio-al-abbazia-di-santa-giustina

private, used for weddings, open only on special occasions; very interesting interior with crypt;