In the Valle area, where the Gastaldaga was located, the seat of the gastaldo (the representative of the Lombard king in the duchy), towards the end of the 8th century, a female monastery was established next to the old church of San Giovanni Battista. This monastery served as a meeting and refuge place for young Lombard noblewomen. From this convent, the powerful Monastery of Santa Maria in Valle later developed. It is possible to observe how the Tempietto Longobardo has changed over time, both externally and internally, by choosing two different visiting routes: the classic route, which takes place on the ground floor, and an alternative route, recently activated, which through two flights of stairs allows access to the internal corridors of the Monastery.

Until the 19th century, the Monastery of Santa Maria in Valle housed Benedictine nuns, later replaced by the Ursuline Sisters. An important change occurred in the 19th century when the convent became an educational institute for women: the Ursulines took care of the education of the nuns and external students, a role they maintained until the end of the 20th century. 

This new function led to a significant transformation of the monumental complex: some parts of the spaces were dedicated to education, while others remained reserved for the cloister. Religious activity in the Monastery of Santa Maria in Valle ended definitively in 1999. In 1891, the Tempietto Longobardo was donated by the Ursuline Mothers to the Municipality of Cividale, and in 1893 it was opened to the public. Visitors could enter from piazza San Biagio, walking along a passage suspended above the Natisone, still used today as an exit from the site. 

In 2001, the Monastery was purchased by the Municipality of Cividale del Friuli to carry out an important project to enhance the area, in view of the inscription to the WHL UNESCO. The Monastery is called to play a central role as a cultural hub and as a point of reference in a new system of city relations. 

In 2008, a new access system to the Tempietto was inaugurated: the imposing entrance gate of the Monastery of Santa Maria was opened to welcome visitors wishing to visit the Palatine Chapel, offering a route that allows entry, visiting, and use of the spaces, which until then were reserved exclusively for the nuns.

(text adapted from www.tempiettolongobardo.it)
Photo Burello