A huge fire broke out shortly after 8 p.m. on Saturday, ravaging part of the monastery of Bernaga, in La Valletta Brianza, northern Italy. The flames caused significant damage to the structure of the monastery and the adjoining church.
This is where Carlo Acutis, canonized on September 7 and celebrated by the Church on Sunday, October 12, received his First Communion in 1998.
The 21 nuns evacuated safely. The fire was reportedly caused by a short circuit in one of the convent's cells. In addition to the 17th-century building, the flames destroyed valuable paintings, sacred furnishings, and antique furniture.
Support from authorities
The archbishop of Milan noted in public comments that all the nuns were safe and none were injured. This fact was “a great relief, while we watch over and over again the impressive flames that enveloped the ancient monastery [...]. The merciless fire has destroyed registered patrimony, signs of devotion, and the few personal belongings with which the nuns live.”
He mentions various saints who will continue to be close to the nuns through their intercession, including St. Carlo Acutis. He also refers to Pope St. Paul VI, who had encouraged the foundress of the community at that monastery.
At the time when the fire broke out, Il Giorno reports, the nuns were gathered in the Rosary prayer for peace while following the Pope on live television. This facilitated their safe evacuation, the newspaper notes.
The president of Lombardy, Attilio Fontana, expressed on social media “[his] closeness to the nuns, the diocese, and the community that has found prayer and comfort in this place for generations.”
“The flames destroyed a historic place in our territory, whose roots go back to the Middle Ages, wounding the memory and identity of our land. In this monastery, many young people experienced important moments in their journey of faith, receiving the sacraments, including the young St. Carlo Acutis, who made his First Communion there,” he posted on Instagram.
