The workers and artisans of the Ordine Cistercense built this abbey between the end of 1100 and the beginning of 1200 in order to have a simple and functional seat that could accommodate the activities expected by the rules of San Benedetto (Saint Benedict). During its periods of greatest wealth, the abbey, perfectly self-sufficient, knew how to best take advantage of its strategic location both from an agricultural point of view as well as from the commercial point of view, becoming a reference point for the local population. Today, it is an independent parish church with a monastic structure; its lands, still farmed, are private property. When visiting the building, one can admire a cycle of frescoes dated between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century, several of which can be traced to the work of Franceschino Boxilio. The painter from Castelnuovo signed two works: the San Cristoforo on the fourth pilaster to the right (dated 1490) and the two scenes of the Vergine (Virgin Mary), the Bambino (Child [Jesus]), and a Charterhouse monk with the hovering figure of Cristo Redentore (Christ, the Redeemer). The frescoes, dating back to a rather continuous and narrow period of time, stylistically share the same Lombard-influenced current.
