Osservanza complex
Osservanza complex It quickly became one of the most important mental hospitals in Italy, covering an area of about 140,000 square meters and including the part of the land destined for an agricultural colony and the beautiful park with large tree-lined avenues.
The patients , the clinics, the staff quarters, the general kitchen, laundry, and workshop services were house in its large pavilions.
Inside the Observanza complex are the Church of San Michele and the Convent of the Osservanza.
The Church includes the Santuario della Beata Vergine delle Grazie (Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Graces) on the altar of which is a particularly beautiful image attributed to Guidaccio da Imola. The Sanctuary also takes its name from the minor observant friars who settled in Imola in the fifteenth century.
The Church was finished in 1472 and a few years later the two cloisters and chapels were added, originally divided by small walls that were demolished in 1940 to obtain a single aisle.
The facade is very simple while the portico is fairly ornate with round arches decorated with seraphim heads.
Under the portico there are three funerary monuments the most interesting of which is that of Bianca Landriani, sister of Caterina Sforza.
To the right of the Church, the first cloister dating back to 1487 is located. It is defined by its harmonious lines and thin and tall columns; the second cloister, however, is off limits to visitors because it is used by the Franciscan minor friars who are today custodians of the complex.
