Abbazia di Moggio Udinese

In 1084-1085 Cacellinus, Count of Carinthia, prince of the Holy Roman Empire, donated his estate to the Patriarch of Aquileia. In return he asked that a Benedictine abbey be erected on Moggio hill, in place of an ancient castle, probably built upon Roman remains. The monastery was consecrated on 8 June 1119, the church on 9 August in the same year. Moggio Abbey received substantial donations over the centuries, and like every other feudal holder it contributed to the Patriarch’s army and was involved in many local wars. The monastery, which was dedicated to Saint Gall, enjoyed its most power in the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1773 its temporal jurisdiction, suppressed by the Venetian Republic, was acquired by the Counts Mangilli and Leoni who became Marquisses of Saint Gall, while its religious jurisdiction passed into the hands of the Archbishop of Udine. Its most attractive parts are the ancient Baptistery, the small cloister, rebuilt in 1548, and the ancient keep overlooking the valley, reminiscent of the Abbey’s former military function.