Overview
In the early 11th century, William of Volpiano founded the Benedictine Fruttuaria Abbey. It was here, among other things, that Arduin of Ivrea, the first king of Italy, retired and died in 1015. Towards the end of the 15th century, however, it began a phase of decline that culminated in its suppression in 1585. In 1770, Vittorio Amedeo delle Lanze commissioned Bernardo Antonio Vittone to build a large church to replace the medieval structures. The old church consisted of three short naves cut by a transept, over which five apsidal chapels opened, equipped with several altars so that several monks could celebrate the liturgy simultaneously. On the walls of the transept chapels, colourful faux-marble frescoes are still visible. The altar of the cross, located in the centre, was the centrepiece of the sacred space, while behind it was the rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre, dating back to the first construction. The floor of the church, which came to light in 1979, consists of a series of mosaics with geometric and animal motifs. On either side of the altar are two panels with pairs of animals facing each other (the northern panel is badly deteriorated, while the southern one is well preserved). Two more bands with geometric panels surround the altar, in which four imperial eagles were found, as well as two griffins, a Christological symbol. These mosaics, of Benedictine origin, are among the oldest in Piedmont. Finally, the 18th-century cloister, with its regular octagonal layout, represents the connecting element between all the buildings. During a recent restoration of the walls, some structures dating back to Romanesque times were found, including four small arches supported by capitals and small columns. This discovery made it possible to reconstruct the thousand-year history of Fruttuaria. An iron-cement slab was also built to divide the upper church, used for worship, from the lower church, which can be visited thanks to the work of the Friends of Fruttuaria Association.
