Pavia – The recent decision to remove the Cistercian monks from the Certosa di Pavia marks the end of an era.Having had a stable presence there since 1968, they will now be transferred to the Abbey of Casamari, while from January 2026 the site will fall under the responsibility of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
The Origins: the Carthusians at the Certosa
The Certosa di Pavia, also known as the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, was founded at the end of the 14th century by Gian Galeazzo Visconti. He envisioned it as both the mausoleum of his dynasty and the fulfillment of a vow made by his wife, Caterina Visconti. The foundation stone was laid in 1396.
The monastery was entrusted to the Carthusian Order: contemplative monks, rigorously devoted to cloistered life, silence, and prayer. Without doubt, this is the most remarkable monastic order the Church has ever known, the form of life most pleasing to God. Their existence is entirely oriented towards the Lord, according to the rule of Saint Bruno of Cologne. Unlike many other religious orders, the Carthusians underwent few changes during the many reforms experienced by the Church. Apart from a few imprudent priors, their way of life has remained true to the original spirit of Saint Bruno, preserving intact the essence of their vocation.
The Carthusians “driven out”: the suppression of 1782
In 1782 Emperor Joseph II suppressed the Carthusian monastery. The reasons included political and economic motives, as well as Enlightenment hostility toward contemplative religious institutions. This removal – entirely unjust – was imposed by secular authorities intent on reducing the wealth and influence of contemplative monasticism. The monastery’s assets were seized.
After the Carthusians: Cistercians and other orders
Following the suppression of the Carthusians in 1782, a Cistercian monastery dedicated to Santa Maria delle Grazie was established in 1784, though it lasted only until 1798. In that period the site also passed briefly to the Carmelites, before facing further closures and reopenings.
It was only in 1968, after the Second Vatican Council, that the Certosa was entrusted again to the Cistercians of the Casamari Congregation, coming from the Abbey of Casamari. For nearly 60 years, this Cistercian community lived in the Certosa, contributing not only to the spiritual care of the site but also to its management, its relationship with visitors, and the witness of monastic life as both a religious and cultural presence.
The current decision: the Cistercians’ departure, state management
The Casamari Congregation has now decided that the Cistercian monks will leave the Certosa. From January 1, 2026, the monumental complex will be managed by the Ministry of Culture, through the Regional Directorate of National Museums of Lombardy.
The monks still residing there will be transferred to Casamari Abbey in Frosinone. The reasons cited include the scarcity of new vocations, the advanced age of the monks, and the difficulty of sustaining a stable monastic community in such a demanding monumental site.
The broader context: the generalate of Mauro Giuseppe Lepori
Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori has been Abbot General of the Cistercian Order since 2010, re-elected in 2022 by the slimmest of margins: just one vote more than his confrere. As Silere non possum has already documented, under his leadership the number of closures or “transfers” of monastic communities has multiplied: ever smaller monasteries, increasingly elderly communities, presences dismissed as “unsustainable.” Lepori has insisted that he does not wish to “close monasteries,” but rather to “accompany them in their death.”
The inevitable question is this: is Lepori truly acting for the good of the Congregation, or are economic interests driving these decisions? If the problem were really just vocations, would he be limiting himself to sterile conferences, appearances at the Rimini Meeting, and leisurely trips? Or would he be promoting instead a serious vocational ministry within the Order? And why is it that communities which still had vocations were nonetheless shut down, often on the basis of accusations never proven?
In reality, Lepori seems to harbor a particular inclination toward suppressing communities—especially those not in his favor. Sometimes it is a matter of financial expediency—fewer expenses to bear, or properties incorporated because they belonged to the community. Other times it appears to be ideological animosity. The examples are many, as Silere non possum has reported: Heiligenkreuz, where defamation and denunciation replaced genuine solutions; San Giacomo di Veglia, where Lepori drove out the nuns who had been running the monastery, keeping only those at the end of life—one of them died just a few days ago; and again the Hungarian Abbey of Zirc. Many others could be added to this list.
Unanswered questions remain
What is left to a city and a diocese when a monastic community closes its doors in a place like the Certosa—not merely as a tourist attraction, but as a sign, a spiritual presence?
Where lies the line between necessity—dictated by the “decline in vocations” (so-called)—and the responsibility of those leading the Order to safeguard even the smallest and most fragile communities?
And above all: as a Church, are we really convinced that state management can guarantee the spiritual and religious dimension embodied by monastic life? Or will the Certosa become just another monument, precious but mute, stripped of the living presence that once animated it?
p.L.T.
Silere non possum