Halfway up the mountain leading to the Sacra di San Michele, in the Susa Valley, stands the Convent of San Francesco, known to most as Certosa, a beautiful building nestled in the woods, which for centuries has been a place of reflection, silence and prayer.
It was founded as a Franciscan monastery in 1515 by Blessed Tommaso Illirico, who began its construction thanks to a bequest from the Berta family of Avigliana.
Over time, the Certosa di Avigliana has served various purposes.
In the 1990s, the community of Carthusian nuns who lived there decided to leave. It was then that the Certosa crossed paths with Gruppo Abele, which took steps to purchase and restore it – an intense 18-year project – so that it would remain a place faithful to its history.