Most of the cloistered nuns have been relocated, while two were hospitalized.
By Catholics for Catholics
A ruinous fire ravaged a 400-year-old monastery, prompting a group of cloistered nuns to escape with their lives as the blaze consumed up treasure troves of invaluable relics.
According to The New York Post, the 21 nuns living in the monastery bolted while the conflagration raged through the Bernaga Monastery in La Valletta Brianza, a commune just outside of Milan.
Out of the 21 nuns, nineteen were transferred to another religious site for temporary housing. Two others were sent to a hospital for indeterminate injuries, Italian politician Massimo Sertori, the current councilor of the region where the monastery resides, wrote on Facebook.
Though the precise magnitude of the damage is uncertain, regional outlets report that swaths of artifacts and artwork displayed inside the monastery are most likely unsalvageable. Sertori added that there was “serious damage to the structure where exceptional paintings were kept.”
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— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) October 13, 2025
The 400 year old Bernaga Monastery, close to Milan, caught fire Saturday night, badly damaging it.
21 nuns escaped the huge fire. The roof was destroyed and it is believed many priceless artefacts too.
This was where Saint Carlo Acutis received his First Communion. pic.twitter.com/IufZdySLPV
Marco Panzeri, the mayor of La Valletta Brianza, described the fire as “a disaster” with “immense, incalculable damage,” according to local media. The monastery was founded in 1628.
Sertori suggested that the fire may have been sparked by “a short circuit from one of the cells of the Ambrosian [Rite] monks living there,” he wrote on Facebook.
According to The Post, the Ambrosian Rite is one of many liturgical rites within the Catholic church. Each stems from specific saints or significant figures. The Ambrosian Rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a German theologian who served as a bishop in Milan during the 4th century.
Hailed as the first millennial saint, Saint Acutis was just canonized on Sept. 7. He died of leukemia at 15 in 2006 but spent his limited time spreading the Word of God through a website documenting miracles from around the world.
Saint Acutis received his first communion at the monastery. His family remembered him fondly as a fun-loving boy who was passionate about soccer — and indulged in classic cartoons like “The Simpsons” and “Pokémon” like any other kid.
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