 On January 18, 1765, the monastery was made the seat of the Territorial Abbacy of Monte Oliveto Maggiore.The monastery is accessed through a drawbridge which leads to a medieval palace in red brickwork, surmounted by a massive quadrangular tower with barbicans and merlons.This edifice was begun in 1393 as the fortified gate of the complex; it was completed in 1526 and restored in the 19th century.