 The abbey was the seat of a religious community until the early 19th century, when it was suppressed during the Napoleonic invasion of Italy.The abbey includes a church with a short bell tower, a cloister and a capitular hall, featuring both Gothic and Romanesque elements.For the construction sandstone and bricks were used to give a bichrome appearance to the exterior (such as in the upper façade), a feature common also in Liguria and Tuscany in the Middle Ages.