Le campane del Monastero di Astino, Bergamo

The monastery of Astino was founded in 1107 after the purchase of land, on which there was a vineyard owned by a goldsmith. The purchaser of the land granted it to a famous congregation of monks, who erected the first church of the Holy Sepulchre in 1111. The monks immediately found favour with the people of Bergamo (Italy), becoming the largest abbey in the region. The sums collected after a terrible earthquake enabled the expansion of the monastery, with the construction of a hospital for the large influx of pilgrims. The consortium that cared for the city's poor merged into the city's largest association in 1305, which allowed for further development of the architectural complex. The period of plague and famine ended in 1403, followed by the handing over of the monastery to an external abbot. The monastery reached its present size in the 16th century, when the medieval tower was replaced by the new bell tower above the sacristy. In 1582, a famous Florentine painter created an exceptional oil painting depicting the Last Supper for the monks' refectory. The monastery was closed and immediately reopened, leading to an exponential increase in the number of monks, most of whom died in 1630 from an epidemic. f' - a' - c'' b''' flat The Renaissance bell tower has a concert of three bells in the musical chord of F major, two of which were restored at state expense after World War II. The two bells cast by Giorgio Pruneri in 1954 were added to the smaller bell, dated 1761 and signed by Tommaso Santini. The small museum set up in the chapter house houses a fourth ancient bell, cast in 1653 for the Angelus prayer and hitherto unknown to all bellringers. In 1797, Napoleon decreed the closure of the monasteries and Astino was turned into a psychiatric hospital, converted into a wood and hay store, and later became the site of a wine cellar. The complex was inaugurated with Expo 2015, after a century of neglect, collapse and demolition. The church is located in the middle of the plain, one of the most beautiful places in Lombardy near the flowering hills. #church #foryou #bells #cinematic #concert #bell #2025 #italy #shrine #catholicchurch #vlogs #travel #landscape