The loggia leads into a great hall used, at the time of the monks, as the chapter house: a place for the monks to gather every day in order to hear a reading from a chapter of the Augustinian rules, but also to comment and hear the public confession of monks who had not observed the rules or obeyed the abbot. Note the artistic marble pilasters that crown the entrance and the two large arched windows. Also, admire the floral bas-reliefs, and the “M” surmounted by a crown indicating Mary, the Queen of Heaven. The capitals at the entrance are finely worked with flowers and acanthus leaves.
Let us continue northwards, towards the hill.
