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Of great importance for Italian monastic history, San Colombano abbey in Bobbio was founded in 614 by St Columbanus, who imposed his monastic rule there, and it soon became an institution, like the Benedictine monastery of Montecassino. The abbey became famous for its Scriptorium, a prime example of an entire network of scriptoria that arose during the Carolingian and Lombard periods. The edict of Rotari, the first written collection of Lombard laws, was probably compiled here. In 982, the catalogue already included over 700 codices and preserved some of the oldest manuscripts of Latin literature. The abbey now contains a museum with artefacts from the early Christian period up to the 16th century, and the City Museum. The interior walls are decorated with frescos by Bernardino Lanzani and one of his assistants, covering the two side aisles and the transept; at the entrance there is a baptismal font from the 7th century, which, according to legend, was given to the monk St Columbanus by Queen Theodolinda. In front of the crypt there is a precious mosaic floor, while the crypt itself preserves the sarcophagus of the abbey's founder.
Piazza S. Colombano, 29022 Bobbio PC, Italy
