santuario, diocesano, basilica minore, abbazia, Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta (Abbazia di Novacella)

Founded in 1142, this Augustinian abbey is a palimpsest of styles, its long history written in stone, paint and manuscript. The Norman-era foundation gave way to a fortified 13th-century gatehouse, ‘Castel Sant’Angelo’, and a sturdy bell-tower. The cloister, with its pointed arches and frescoes, speaks in a fluent Gothic. But it is the late Baroque that transforms the medieval abbey church’s interior into a jewel of ornate stucco and gilding. Even the inner courtyard offers a Baroque marvel: the ‘Pozzo delle meraviglie’, an elaborate well-head. The abbey’s art gallery holds notable Gothic painted panels, while the library preserves precious medieval manuscripts, now digitised. A formal Baroque garden, complete with fish-pond and aviary, offers a more serene encounter. To round matters off, the estate runs one of the world’s oldest wineries, carbon-neutral and producing excellent wines. The church was raised to a minor basilica in 1956.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.