Overview

At the beginning of the 11th century, the Monastery of Sant'Andrea was built near the Eastern Gate of Porta Soprana. The first records of the Romanesque church date back to 1109 and the place was dedicated to the Apostle Andrea. Between the early 1500s and 1620, the monastery and the church underwent a number of changes while the complex did not reach its final form until the end of the 1700s. In 1810, the convent was used as a prison until, in the early 1900s, it was demolished to create Via Dante. After the declaration of public use (1890), Alfredo D'Andrade, head of the Regional Office for the Conservation of Monuments, took protective measures. The restoration project provided for the preservation of the monument in its original position and the inclusion of a garden around it, which was included in the contract for the sale of the complex to the Municipality. In 1905, the cloister, which had already been dismantled, was moved first to Sant'Agostino and then to Villetta Di Negro while they were awaiting a decision on where to place it. Many years later, D'Andrade tried to bring the cloister back into focus, but it was not until 1922, in a radically changed cultural climate, that the reconstruction was finally approved. The cloister was rebuilt in the vicinity of Casa Colombo, which was used as a garden together with Porta Soprana, in order to provide homage to patriotic memories.