ABBAZIA DI SAN COLOMBANO

The abbey was founded in 614 by the Irish missionary Saint Columban. In the Middle Ages it had one of the richest manuscript libraries of the time. The present complex dates back to the years 1456-1522. The basilica, in Renaissance style, houses a 9th century baptismal font. The 15th century crypt preserves the tomb of Saint Colomban. It is paved with a 12th century mosaic representing the history of the Maccabees and the cycle of the seasons. The abbey of Bobbio inspired the one described by Umberto Eco in his novel The Name of the Rose.