This volume is the result of many years of research in historical documents and archives. It brings to light two Paduan monasteries that today no longer exist as such, and have been in part transformed and in part destroyed. The ex-monasteries now house the police-headquarters (St. Chiara "Nova Cella") and the public revenue offices (St. Bernardino da Siena). The vital ganglia of the Paduan social fabric were fairly much influenced by an intense spiritual, cultural and economic activity carried on by the monasteries of St. Chiara "Nova Cella" and St. Barnardino da Siena. A very sage inscription on the library Antoniana reads: "hic vivunt qui mortui sunt" (the dead are living here) and recovered historical documents truly give a new "life" to persons and events from the distant past. This historic-palaeographic research is fascinating for just that: it gives life and vitality back to worlds that have only apparently vanished. The two monasteries that are presented in this work have penetrated into a deeper essence of the city of Padua, and they have left indelible signs of their passage. Noted artists such as D. Varotari, P. Damini, L. Vernansal splendidly decorated these spiritual environments, leaving praiseworthy documents attesting to their genius, and which today have been lost or destroyed. The glorious history of these two monasteries ended at the beginning of the 19th century with the Napoleonic suppression of the religious houses. Due to the research and study of the authors, part of the rich history of these two monasteries can be 'rescued' and passed on to the future.