As of January 1, 2026, the Cistercian monks of the Casamariensis Congregation will leave the Monumental Complex of the Charterhouse of Pavia, where they have lived permanently since 1968. As of that date, the management of the site, one of the most important masterpieces of late medieval and Renaissance art in Lombardy, will be handled solely by the Ministry of Culture, through the Regional Directorate National Museums Lombardy.
The Directorate expresses deep regret for the imminent departure of the monastic community, which matured from an autonomous decision of the Chapter. To accompany this phase of change, and thanks to the support of the Cariplo Foundation, the Regional Directorate has commissioned the Fitzcarraldo Foundation of Turin to draw up a strategic development plan. The goal is to foster the revitalization of the Charterhouse, strengthen its link with the territory and ensure effective and efficient management of such an extensive complex, optimizing the use of public and private resources.
This path will be built together with the territory and for the territory. By the end of the year, the first meetings and focus groups will be held at the Charterhouse with the main stakeholders - local authorities, religious institutions, universities and research centers, cultural associations, the business and financial world. They will be moments of discussion and listening, designed to share the first project lines and gather proposals and contributions useful for a process of true regeneration.
The Charterhouse of Pavia, visited annually by more than 100,000 people, is one of the most representative symbols of Lombardy’s cultural heritage. Declared a national monument in 1866, it will continue to be enhanced and accessible to the public with renewed attention and commitment.
“We did everything we could to convince the monks to stay, but beyond attempts at persuasion the decision was not ours to make,” said Rosario Maria Anzalone, director of Lombardy’s state museums. “Our goal now is not only to ensure continuity in the care and enhancement of this extraordinary complex, but above all to improve its conditions of access and enjoyment, expanding opening hours and introducing an entrance fee. The latter will help meet the not insignificant management burdens, which, in a site currently lacking ministerial security staff, also include the costs of reception and custodial services. At the same time, we are committed to ensuring that the Charterhouse maintains its essence as a place of faith and temple of Christian worship, even in the absence of a stable monastic community. We firmly believe that the Monumental Complex of the Carthusian Monastery of Pavia has a great untapped potential that, through a wise work of recovery and enhancement, can project it in a short time into the list of major cultural attractions at the national level, while serving as a driver of territorial development.”
Photo: Maurizio Montagna.
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| From 2026, the Charterhouse of Pavia will be managed solely by the Ministry of Culture. The monks will leave the Complex |
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