The female monastery
Guglielmo innovatively conceived the construction of a double monastery where the female community of nuns was predominant, many of whom came from the most illustrious families of the Kingdom of Naples. Under the guidance of famous abbesses such as Febronia, Marina I, Marina II, Agnese, and Scolastica, the community grew and became famous for the holiness of the nuns, and the monastery was enriched with lands and works of art.
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Further Information
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Charles De Foucauld
The bust of St. Charles de Foucauld is located in the cloister garden of the female convent. Alongside S. Guglielmo and S. Luca, St. Charles de Foucauld is also venerated at Goleto, thanks to the thirty years lived in this place by the Piccoli Fratelli of the Jesus Caritas community, inspired by his spirituality. The saint brought a new way of interpreting Christianity into Christian spirituality, focusing on universal fraternity, hiddenness, minimalism, and humility, looking to the beloved brother, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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The period of the abbesses
The golden period linked to the administration of Goleto by the abbesses spanned about two centuries starting from the death of the Saint (1142). After 1348, year of the Black Death, a slow and inexorable decline began. On 24 January 1506, Pope Julius II decreed its suppression, which effectively occurred with the death of the last abbess in 1515. The peak of Goleto’s artistic splendour was reached under the rule of abbesses Marina II and Scolastica with the construction of the Chapel of San Luca, worked on by the craftsmen of Federico II, where a famous relic of the evangelist was placed.
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What the original abbey looked like
The original structure of the abbey included the church built by Guglielmo, located in the centre and with the apse facing east, the large monastery of the nuns, and the smaller one of the monks. From the main entrance, on the right, a passage led to the second large courtyard, around which ran a simple loggia, still visible. The buildings on the three sides were intended for the nuns’ residences and services, including a chapter meeting room, refectory, infirmary, novitiate, and some workshops with gardens and wells.
