The ancient Benedictine Abbey Santa Maria in Sylvis of Sesto al Reghena , founded in the first half of the 8th century, hosts a vast exhibition of stone finds and sculptures, from Roman times to the Middle Ages.
The Abbey, devastated by the Hungarians in 889, was fortified again and took on the appearance of a medieval castle with a defensive system made up of towers and moats.
Of the ancient Abbey of Sesto al Reghena , you can today observe the entrance tower dating back to the end of the 15th century, the basilica, the abbot’s residence (now the Town Hall), the abbey chancellery and the rectory.
The Basilica built in Romanesque-Byzantine style (three naves, underground crypt and raised presbytery) is decorated with a cycle of frescoes from the school of Giotto (1316-1320).
The crypt preserves the urn of Santa Anastasia , a splendid monument from the Lombard period, the fifteenth-century sandstone Pietà attributed to a German master, and the Annunciation dating back to the beginning of the fourteenth century.
The Benedictine Abbey Santa Maria in Sylvis of Sesto al Reghena has been embellished since its origins by donations from Charlemagne who you can find depicted in the cycle of chivalric frescoes (of a profane nature) in the loggia located to the left of the entrance.
