The Certosa di Pavia – An architectural gem!

A major highlight of our delightful 12 Day Walks and Wonders Tour, is the Certosa di Pavia. It is a historic Carthusian monastery situated a few kilometres north of the medieval university town of Pavia, close to Milan. The Certosa (meaning “Charterhouse” in English), was commissioned by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the first Duke of Milan, as a monastery and family mausoleum. Visconti had his court in Pavia, and the Certosa was to be built within the Visconti family hunting grounds, between Pavia and Milan.

Work commenced in 1396, but the buildings were not finally completed until the 16th century. The Certosa was originally home to an order of Carthusian monks, who remained there until they were expelled by the Austrian Emperor Joseph II in 1782. It was then variously occupied by other orders of monks, or closed, until the current Cistercian community arrived in the 1960s.



The early Carthusian monks were known for their plain architectural design. But there is nothing plain about the Certosa di Pavia, which is famous for the extravagance of its Gothic and Renaissance architecture and for its collection of artworks. It was intended to resemble the great Gothic Cathedral in Milan. However, it took around 200 years to build and, by the time it was completed, the new Renaissance ideals had taken hold in Italy. So, although most of the complex, including much of the interior of the church, is Gothic, it was finished in the Renaissance style.