The Convent (“Su guventu”) and the church of Santa Lucia were built in the 9th and 10th centuries, respectively, by Byzantine monks of the order of St. Basil. They constitute the oldest monuments in the territory of San Gavino Monreale and in 2015 were declared sites of historical-artistic cultural interest by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. Attached to the monastery is a fascinating cloister with barrel vault and basileo-style ornaments and arches. There are two Greek-language engravings in the structure with the words “Men of Basil” and “Aetione.” In fact, after the 11th century, with the great schism between the Western and Eastern Churches, the monastery was abandoned by the Basilians and was taken over first by the Benedictines, then beginning in the 16th century, by the Franciscans who, from 1657, ran the university of “Theology and Letters” and an important library.
