The abbey of Santa Maria Maggiore di Summaga is a tenth century monastery located in Summaga, a hamlet on the outskirts of Portogruaro in the province of Venice.
Abbazia di Summaga History
The abbey was founded between the 10th and 11th centuries at the behest of the bishops of Concordia.
Of the ancient monastery now only the church with a longitudinal plan remains, with three naves and three apses. Its construction dates back to 1211, with remaking of the facade in the eighteenth century. Of the other buildings that made up the monastery, no trace remains, although documents attest to its presence until the 16th century.
Since 1444 the presence of Benedictine monks is no longer attested, so the huge land patrimony was managed by various commendatory abbots, who generally belonged to the most important Venetian families.
The interior deserves great importance mainly for the Romanesque frescoes, which are from the first half of the 1200s, where the Byzantine derivation is intertwined with the influence of Venetian painting.
But the real treasure of the church is contained in the apse at the end of the right aisle. There are depicted very interesting characters such as knights fighting each other and against evil dragons. They are only mentioned because there is only the design without colors or finishes, but their presence affirms the belonging of the parish to the Templars, since in ancient times there was an ancient mansion.