Certosa di Padula

The Carthusian monastery of St. Lawrence, also known as Certosa di Padula, is the largest in Italy, and among the most famous. In 1998 it was declared World Heritage by UNESCO; it was founded by Tommaso Sanseverino in 1306 on the site of an existing cenobio and is dedicated to San Lorenzo; its structure recalls the image of the grating on which the saint was burned alive. The history of the building covers a period of about 450 years. The main part of the Carthage is Baroque style and occupies an area of 50,500 m² on which are built over 320 rooms. The monastery has the largest cloister in the world (about 12,000 m²) and is surrounded by 84 columns.