The Abbey of Santa Maria di Staffarda is one of the most fascinating and important medieval monasteries in Piedmont. Its foundation dates back to the period between 1122 and 1138, on land donated, in the early years of the same century, by the Marquis Manfredo I of Saluzzo to the monks of the Cistercian Order. It is in this era that, in the peace of the plain overlooking Monviso, the original nucleus of the Abbey was born on the territory of the ancient Marquisate of Saluzzo.
The most mysterious emblem of the abbey, however, is the Staffarda Rose located at the end of the right nave: an intricate tangle of curves and circles in an asymmetrical position with respect to the wall. A design with a strong symbolic value that fascinates and intrigues without revealing its origin.
The Staffarda Abbey is shrouded in a mystery that has been hidden from the beginning, since its construction by the Cistercian friars, who deliberately built it in an asymmetrical manner.
Were there Templars in Staffarda? Of course yes, for about two centuries the Knights Templar discouraged the Cistercian nuns from Staffarda to the Certosa di Monte Bracco. Unfortunately, a papal bull of 1345, the "damnatio memoriae", ordered the elimination of all the Templar crosses present on the site, following the events that the Order and its Grand Master Jacques de Molay saw between 1307 and 1314.
For more information on visits, times and costs, visit the website at:
https://www.ordinemauriziano.it/abbaz...
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