San Benedetto's complex includes a church in a typical "mature" Como Romanesque style, with a spacious and severe interior, a massive bell tower, and some structures belonging to what was once a monastery. It lies on the southern slope of Mount Galbiga, 817 meters above sea level, where two tributary valleys of the Perlana river meet.

The monastery was built near a spring that made it possible to cultivate the terraced land on the mountainside, and to provide a livelihood. Moreover, the convent's elevated position allowed it to overlook the routes along the coast.

The first document attesting to the existence of San Benedetto dates back to 1083. On a spring Sunday of that year, the far-sighted Bishop of Como Rinaldo ratified - in the presence of three "converts" named Boldo, Anrado and Lafranco - "the institution" of the church. Seven years later, the monastery was fully active. It was located on the south side of the church and consisted in a three-story building which included a chapter house and even a drying room for chestnuts.

However, the isolated location and its proximity to Acquafredda Abbey lead to a relatively rapid decline of the monastery: around the middle of the 15th century the church lost its "abbey dignity"; in 1778, a decree definitively ratified the end of the monastic experience there.

Thereafter, the monastery buildings were abandoned and began to deteriorate. A worse fate befell the cloister, of which no trace remains. The chapter house, once covered in frescoes, was repurposed by farmers as a goat shed until the mid-20th century. Although San Benedetto remained a beloved place of pilgrimage for the villagers, decay took its inexorable course: in 1950, the church was banned from the celebration of sacred rites.

Since 1958 various renovations have brought back the beauty of the place and allowed the church to be used for religious services once again. Fra Ginepro's stable presence near San Benedetto was fundamental in this regard: the hermit resided next to San Benedetto from 1985 to the early 2000s and became the soul of the association that managed to revitalize the entire complex.

Since 2020 the Diocese of Como, and the "Amici di San Benedetto" have been relentlessly revitalizing a place whose charm is still clearly alive to those who visit it.

If you wish to learn more about San Benedetto and his "Amici", visit: https://sanbenedettoinvalperlana.it/

and if you wish, donate!

The Altar of St. Benedetto consists of a block of granite, within which is carved a measuring hole for grain, the Eucharistic symbol par excellence. The boulder of the altar base as well as the stones that form the ambo were also found in the forest surrounding the abbey during the late 20th century renovations. The altar is dedicated to the martyrs of Tibhirine, one of whom, Christophe Lebreton, personally visited San Benedetto! 

Last Holy Saturday, April 8, 2023, we decided to take a walk to San Benedetto. We had wanted to visit this place for a long time, and it was indeed a giddy experience!

As we had expected, we found before our eyes a beautiful place: we felt the joy only a magnificent example of Comacine Romanesque can give you; we admired a facade that feels both simple and grand at the same time; we beheld a church built in the middle of nowhere, with its bell tower suddenly popping up among the larches; we thought: this is "useless" beauty. And precisely because of its uselessness, it is beauty in its most absolute expression.

Above all, we found the church open, exceptionally open! Marco, a volunteer of the Amici di San Benedetto and the nephew of Fra Ginepro, had opened the doors to visitors that very day (it only happens a few times a year!). He first explained the history of the place, and then invited us to his nearby hut, offering us a nice "chatting and coffee" time.

We thus discovered that the altar is dedicated to the monks of Tibhirine and that one of them, Brother Christophe Lebreton even passed by there! It seemed to us a significant coincidence: Riccardo, in his ten years on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea, has become a bit of a child of this spirituality inspired by figures of Islamic-Christian dialogue, such as Charles de Foucauld, Louis Massignon, the monks of Tibhirine, Jean-Mohammed Abd-el-Jalil, Georges C. Anawati, Paolo Dall'Oglio, and many others.

The summer before we also visited together the Monastery of Notre Dame de l'Atlas in the foothills of the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco, the physical and spiritual continuation of Tibhirine.

In short, San Benedetto left us with something special. That day, struck by the embrasures behind the altar, we sent the Easter greetings - inspired by Leonard Cohen - which you can find below.

And after the "Ugandan Jackfruit proposal", while thinking about getting married, we came up with this folly: what if we marry in San Benedetto?

How? Great question!