Here we are in the heart of Sesto al Reghena: the Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria, of Lombard foundation, one of the most important monastic institutions in Friuli Venezia Giulia, whose deed of donation celebrated its first 1,250 years in 2012. The Abbey of S. Maria di Sesto or in Sylvis (so named because it was then immersed in an extensive forest, from the Latin “silva”) was founded around the first half of the 8th century; in 762 it received the donation from three Lombard nobles Erfo, Marco, and Anto, followed by many others. In 899 it suffered the devastating invasion of the Hungarians, which almost completely destroyed it, but between 960 and 965 Abbot Adalberto II began the reconstruction work, and the abbey increased its power not only on a religious level but also civil, so much so that it took on the appearance of a medieval castle with its defensive system formed by towers and moats. With the diploma of 967, Otto I donated the Abbey of Sesto to the Patriarchate of Aquileia, which later, in 1420, passed under the domination of the Venetian Republic, which entrusted it, in 1441, to secular prelates who did not reside there. Once the Commenda was suppressed, the abbey's assets and properties were auctioned. After various events, religious jurisdiction passed to the diocese of Concordia (1818), and in 1921 the Holy See again recognized it with the title of “Abbey”. Santa Maria presents itself “in the form of a Castle”, that is, it is fortified, as throughout its history, especially in the early centuries, it was crossed by raids from eastern peoples: this forced the abbots to build a wall around the basilica and the cloister, which also had seven towers, of which the entrance tower, also called the Grimani tower, and especially the bell tower, which announces the presence of Santa Maria on the horizon, survive.

The entrance facade (A), the result of modifications over the centuries, is opened by a simple portal above which there are frescoes dated 11th-12th century (Archangel Gabriel, within lunette; St. Benedict) surmounted by triforas; on the left, a small loggia (B) frescoed on the internal walls with a Chivalric Scene and an Investiture, on the external one with St. Christopher, Madonna with Child, and Saints Peter and Baptist; from the 14th century, on the right, a balustraded staircase leads to the hall, once a night choir for the monks now used for cultural events.

Crossing the door, you enter the vestibule (C) entirely frescoed (on the walls the allegorical cycle of Hell on the left, of Paradise on the right, and of St. Michael, on the internal facade) from the early 1500s, attributed to Antonio da Firenze and his students.

In the vestibule, on the left, is the Museum Room (E) with archaeological finds from various eras. Then you move to the Romanesque atrium (F), divided into three naves by quadrangular pillars that preserve traces of fresco decoration; note on the south wall (to the right of the church entrance door) the 14th-century fresco with the Meeting of the Three Living and the Three Dead, one of the finest examples of late medieval depiction of death. The interior of the church features a remarkable array of fresco paintings, among which those in the presbytery area stand out, executed around the second and third decades of the 14th century by painters of the Giotto school.

On the internal entrance facade (G) within a lunette, the Madonna with a halo (14th century); above the bifora, the coat of arms of the commendatory abbot Giovanni Grimani; to the right of the door, the founder of the abbey Erfo with his mother Piltrude; on the first right pillar Otto and Hagalberta (mid-14th century). Climbing the staircase, in the right transept (H), at the top the Healing of the Cripple, at the bottom the Resurrection of the Widow Tabitha. The right wall (I) is rich in paintings with scenes from the life of St. Peter, including Christ handing the keys to Peter, the Condemnation of Saints Peter and Paul, and the Martyrdom of St. Peter; below the symbolic scene of the mystical tree, the Lignum Vitae, and the Fire of Rome. On the adjacent wall, above the right apse, St. Peter meets Jesus Christ on the waters. The semi-dome of the central apse (L) hosts the Coronation of the Virgin, while in the lower band a small window divides two episodes: on the right the Birth of Christ and on the left the Announcement of the angel to the shepherds; below in the quadrilobes and niches, Saints. In the left transept (M), at the top an episode from the life of St. Benedict, at the bottom the Assumption of St. John the Evangelist. In the dome, episodes from the life of St. Benedict, St. John the Evangelist, and the Virgin are preserved; in the spandrels frescoes depicting the Evangelists and in the arch of the wall decorations with busts of Saints within lozenge-shaped panels.

In the CRYPT, which extends under the presbytery and is marked by cross vaults supported by marble columns, the Urn of St. Anastasia is preserved, a splendid monument from the Lombard era formed from the remains of a Greek marble chair; the Vesperbild, the 15th-century Pietà in sandstone attributed to a German master; the Annunciation from the early 14th century with the angel and the Virgin inscribed within a niche opened on two trilobed arches.

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The visit begins right from the square from which you take the bridge that allows entry to the fortified island that has hosted the monastery for more than 1,250 years. This is piazza Barbo, named after a commendatory abbot, Pietro Barbo, who became Pope with the name of Paolo II. Already from piazza Barbo, we can get a first idea of the monastic complex. The bridge, for example, was not originally made of masonry, but was a typical drawbridge, which was closed every night and whenever a situation of danger arose for the monks and the religious community of Sesto. To enter piazza Castello, we must pass through the tower that protects it. This is the tower that owes its current appearance to the modifications and frescoes that the Grimani family (who "reigned" over the abbey from 1503 to 1627) had made to embellish it and celebrate their deeds.

In front appears the massive watchtower marked by pilasters (around 1050), transformed into a bell tower; on the left, the ancient abbey chancery (now a kindergarten); on the right, the residence of the abbots (today the municipal headquarters), a Renaissance-style building on whose facade the frescoed coats of arms of five commendatory abbots are preserved. To the left of the latter, the entrance and the body of the abbey.