The church, the abbey and the crypt of Breme

Breme is a town in the heart of Lomellina, in the province of Pavia. Here among the most important places to visit, we find the parish church, the abbey and the crypt. The parish church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin of the Assumption, was built between the 10th and 11th centuries, but you can see wall remains from previous eras, the base is in Romanesque style, although it has been remodeled both on the facade and on the indoor. In fact, the interiors are not typically Romanesque, it is arranged on three naves with a semicircular apse without a transept, the coffered ceiling built in 1933; it is a place of great sacredness that hides countless wonders and stories. The most important part of Breme is the ancient abbey, the current building is the one built in the mid-16th century which has the cloister, several buildings and a terraced garden. The abbey of San Pietro di Breme gained importance in 929, when the monks moved there. From 1542 the Olivetan monks settled; it was Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia who deliberated its suppression, while the adjacent church was demolished in the Napoleonic era, because it was in ruins. The basements are perfectly preserved, here we find: the warehouses, the well, the pantry, the icebox, the kitchen. Today these rooms are used for educational purposes, you can see objects from various eras, all freely and without the need to pay a ticket. After the demolition of the abbey church, the ancient crypt survived, it is probably the oldest room in Breme; in ancient times there was a second access, now walled up; the crypt is 11 meters long and 6 meters wide, divided into three naves with four cylindrical stone columns, which certainly come from some Romanesque building in nearby Lomello; The crypt is also freely accessible.