Description of the attraction
The Benedictine monastery of Santa Sofia in Salerno was founded at the end of the 10th century. It is located on Via Trotula de Ruggiero, northwest of Piazza Abate Conforti.
Initially, monks lived in Santa Sofia, then, two centuries later, the monastery was handed over to the nuns of the same Benedictine order. And in 1592, the building became the property of the Jesuit Order, who founded a school for boys in it. Almost two hundred years later, in 1778, Pope Clement XVI abolished the order, and handed over the monastery to the Carmelites. From the time of Napoleon - from the beginning of the 19th century - until 1938, it housed a civil court. After a special building was built for the court, a school began operating in Santa Sofia. Today, after several years of desolation, the building of the monastery has been restored and again attracts tourists.
Next to the Santa Sofia building is the Addolorata Church, built by the Jesuit priests who lived in the monastery at the end of the 16th century. The facade of the building is decorated with stucco molding. In the 19th century, a staircase was added to it, divided into two flights with a central balustrade. Inside the church, you can admire the central nave and two side chapels, a transept with a dome, altar and choirs. The interior is also decorated with interesting stucco and majolica and marble decorations. Today the church building is used as a conference hall and an exhibition hall.
According to historians, in the Piazza Abate Conforti, located near Santa Sofia, once there is an ancient Roman forum, which was the center of political, economic and religious life. Most of the buildings facing the square date from the Middle Ages - the monastery of Santa Maria Maddalena, the aforementioned Santa Sofia and the Church of Addolorata, the building of the State Archives, etc. And later along the Via Tasso, many residential buildings were built in which the local aristocracy settled.
