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The Charterhouse

The St. Lawrence (S. Lorenzo) Charterhouse in  Padula is one of the largest monumental complexes in Italy and among the most extensive in Europe.

Construction began at behest of   Tommaso Sanseverino, a staunch supporter of the  Angevin dinasty on the throne of Naples in 1306, and lasted right upon the 18th century. A spacious atrium , dominated by the great Baroque façade, leads on to the stablesw, workshops, farmacy, and cellars.. 

The main church has remarkable altars with delicate polychrome decorations in scagliola plaster with mother-of-pearl insets, frescoes dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, a floor in the 18th century maiolica tiles, carved and inlaid wooden chancels dating from the early 16th century. The great cloister, built in the 17th and 18th centuries, , is exceptionally beautiful: it has a double arcade comprising 84 arches. Along the arcades are the living quarters of the monks and at the end an octagonal tower with ellptical staircase.The cloister, measuring an amazing 12000 square meters, is one of the largest in the world.