Novalesa Abbey (Italian: Abbazia di Novalesa) is a Benedictine monastery in Piedmont, Italy. It was founded in 726, and dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Andrew.[1]
Novalesa is in the Val di Susa, on the route to the Mont Cenis Pass. The founder, Abbo of Provence, was a local Frankish governor.[2] The abbey stands on the former Via Francigena, a major pilgrimage road.[3] The founding monks are thought to have come from the Grenoble region.[4] It was endowed by Charlemagne and Louis the Pious. The first phase of the abbey's history came to an end when it was destroyed by Saracen raiders in 906.[5]
Restorations have taken place over the past three centuries. The abbey is still in operation as an active Benedictine monastery.[6]