The flames ravage nearly half a millennium of monastic history. A violent fire ravaged the historic monastery of Bernaga, in northern Italy, leading to the evacuation of 22 cloistered nuns, Italian firefighters announced on Sunday.
Founded in 1628, the monastery of La Valletta Brianza, near Milan, is where Carlo Acutis, the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint, made his first communion.
The fire broke out on Saturday and ravaged the entire building, according to nighttime images published by firefighters on platform X.
The nuns were evacuated without injury, but many works of art and priceless objects are believed to have been destroyed by the flames, according to Italian media.
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“A catastrophe, immense and incalculable damage”
Marco Panzeri, mayor of La Valletta Brianza, deplored to journalists “a catastrophe, immense and incalculable damage”. The fire was believed to have been caused by a short circuit, he added.
The damage caused to the Bernaga Monastery by the fire that broke out in the religious structure on the evening of Saturday 11 October was extensive. The roof of the historic building – located in the hamlet of Perego, in the Brianza area of Lecco – was completely devoured by… pic.twitter.com/yTX6Pm5PFn
— Local Team (@localteamit) October 12, 2025
Carlo Acutis was canonized on September 7, 2025 by Pope Leo XIV. First Communion, which typically occurs from ages 7 to 11, is considered an important milestone for children in the Catholic Church.