Fire Breaks Out At Historic Italian Monastery, Nuns Escape Unhurt

A vast blaze has torn through the historic Bernaga Monastery in northern Italy, the Italian fire service said Sunday, forcing the evacuation of 22 cloistered nuns.

Founded in 1628, the monastery in La Valletta Brianza, near Milan, was where Carlo Acutis, the Catholic Church's first millennial saint, took his First Communion.

The fire broke out Saturday and engulfed the entire building, according to night-time images published by the fire brigade on X.

Un vasto #incendio è scoppiato ieri sera nel #monastero della Bernaga a #Perego, una frazione di #LaValletta, nel Lecchese, luogo di culto dove ha ricevuto la comunione #CarloAcutis, da poco proclamato santo.
Le fiamme si sarebbero propagate per…https://t.co/zqhmkZ5sIh pic.twitter.com/0AlnTv3bSK

— Massimo Sertori (@MassimoSertori_) October 12, 2025

The nuns were evacuated without injuries but many priceless artworks and artefacts were thought to be lost, according to Italian media reports.

Marco Panzeri, mayor of La Valletta Brianza, told local media it was "a disaster, an immense, incalculable damage".

The fire may have been caused by a short circuit, he said.

Acutis was elevated to sainthood on September 7, 2025, by Pope Leo XIV.

The First Communion -- usually taken between the ages of 7 and 11 -- is an important step for children in the Catholic Church.