History of
Relais Sant’Uffizio

The splendid Relais Sant’Uffizio Wellness & Spa, nestled between the hills of the Langhe-Monferrato area and the Barbera vineyards, was created from a 16th century monastery elegantly restored and transformed into a charming relais. This residence with ancient charm in the heart of Piedmont – surrounded by vineyards and pretty red brick villages – evokes 16th century atmospheres that have their roots in the era in which it was a monastic seat.
The current Relais Sant’Uffizio was, in fact, the seat of the Congregation of the Sacred Roman and Universal Inquisition known as the Holy Office, a structure of the Catholic Church created in 1542 by Pope Paul III with the promulgation of the bull Licet ab initio, the constitution which establishes the protection of the doctrine of the Catholic Church, the integrity of the faith and the fight against false doctrines and heresies.

Here the Dominican Friars, defenders of the harsh rules of the ecclesiastical Tribunal, raised silkworms in the attics and produced good wine intended for the Mass… so good as to arouse the envy of the Franciscan Friars, who in nearby Moncalvo were, in turn, owners of three convents.

The monastery was later closed down in 1800 with the arrival of Napoleon, following the Battle of Marengo. It later became an agricultural estate and was finally abandoned until it was used for accommodation in the 1970s.

After numerous changes of ownership by well-known local families, in the early 2000s it became an elegant, charming relais that fascinated well-known names from the world of finance and entertainment such as Umberto Agnelli, Paola Borboni, Maria Callas and Joseph Ratzinger, then Cardinal and Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the Holy Office).