The Monastery

The monastery of the Saints Pietro e Paolo in Germagno (VB) is on the side of the mountain Massone and looks on the lake d’Orta from a natural tableland.
The monastic complex is composed of a prefabricade of four quadrilateral shaped oblong buildings and in its hub there is a little and lovely cloister-garth. A further building is next to the main structure and is adapted to various lines of work. In summer of 2018 two more new buildings have been added in order to up the number of rooms, to arrange an infirmary and to make use of a new shed for the varied jobs.
The communion has now eight monks and an oblate regular. Close to the communion are eight “lay brothers and sisters”, whereas a “sister”, who lives a semi-hermitic monastic commitment, stays not far from the monastery.
Though different vocations we try to witness an only one community. The community is keen on doing everyone a power of good, struggling to live simply in brotherhood, according to the prospects of that “good zeal”, which St. Benedetto shows us in chapter 72 (seventytwo) of his Rule.

The History

The communion of the Saints Pietro e Paolo was founded in 1971 (directly under the responsibility of the then chief abbot Gabriele Brasò) in Gudo Gambaredo, at an agrarian hamlet on the outskirts of Milan. At the very beginning besides some postulants, belonged to the communion monks coming from three different monasteries and so it was set up without any reference to a proper motherhouse. Following varied difficulties the communion moved in 1979 to Miasino (NO) into a temporary house, which was put at disposal by the bishop of the diocese of Novara. Next year the communion could move from there to Agrano (NO) into a villa belonging to religiouses living there no more. The experience in the space of few years spent in a structure not adapted as monastery urged “to dream about” the construction of a small but more practicable monastery. The communion could see the desire come true in 1989, thanks to the contribution of many friends and acquaintances, who believed in this plan for the future of the communion and made up for the poverty with generosity. The communion inaugurated the new “house of God” the seventeenth of December. As from 2006 it is a priorate sui iuris.
Running not always easily forward, the communion missed a part of the brothers, whereas others joined the communion in order to belong to it.

The Activities

The activities of the communion are usually carried out within the monastery and refer to the following lines of production:

• Production of jam and creams
  The orchard of the monastery has in large part seasonal fruit on it, which is the background ingredient, and part is bought at reliable suppliers; the catalogue includes over forty jam and creams.
• Production of sauces, vegetal and meat preparations
  The sauces and the preparations for making soup are prepared by means of first-quality ingredients, fine ideas in order to flavour many recipes.
• Apiculture
  The enclosure, which is rich in frutices in blossom between May and July, is a suitable place for bee-keeping, as it allows to get honey of acacia, linden and chestnut from one and only flower.
• Vestments
  Special textiles of great value are used to make chasubles and stoles.
• Icons
  The more typical images of the eastern tradition and those in latter-day made under classic models are transfered on wooden tablets.
  The “writing of icons” can be carried out exceptionally to order, in accordance with the monastic pace of a small communion.