In Sezzadio, a few kilometres from Ovada, is one of the most important medieval monuments of Piedmont: the Abbazia di Santa Giustina (St Giustina abbey), founded in 722 by the Lombard king Liutprando. In 1030 Ottoberto, the marquis of Sezzadio, completely restored it and had a Benedictine monastery built by its side. The prestige of the abbey complex had grown over the course of time, reaching its greatest growth of spiritual and commercial activities between the XI and the XII centuries. During the Napoleonic period, though, it suffered the same fate as the other great Piedmont abbeys, and its possessions were allocated to Napoleonic veterans. The church has a Romanesque structure with Gothic elements, the imposing brickwork façade is divided into pilasters and is topped with small hanging arches. It has a nave and two aisles with cross vaults from the XV century. Visitors can admire the frescoes in the apse, which are of some value, and the mosaic floor in the crypt, which dates back to the XI century.
