BYZANTINE ABBEY HAILS MILLENIUM
The thousand-year old Abbey of Grottaferrata (Lazio) is celebrating its foundation year with a programme of events, conferences and concerts of religious music throughout the coming months, starting on the 23rd March with the “Sabat Mater” concert and a series of lectures on Dante's “Journey of Life” (“il Viaggio della Vita”), running until the 25th May 2024.
The Abbey is an impressive fortified building, surrounded by defensive walls and a moat, harking back to the more turbulent times of its history. It was founded by Basilian monks from the south of Italy, guided by the legendary Saints Nilus and Bartholomew, who followed the Greek Byzantine ritual, which continues to be used today.
The Abbey is a treasure house of art, with the church of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata lavishly decorated with 12th century mosaics and polychrome marble pavements, the Farnese Chapel frescoed by Domenichino in the original “grotto” (actually the remains of a cryptoporticus from a ruined Roman villa) where the first foundation stones were laid, and a “Madonna and Child with Saints Nilus and Bartholomew” by Antonio Carracci.
It also possesses a library with over 50,000 volumes, including some 1000 priceless ancient manuscripts, a museum of antiquities and a renowned School of Book Restoration.
The Abbey is open to the public, with guided tours and entrance to the museum on Saturdays and Sundays.
M. STENHOUSE
Info: Tel. +39.3409819736 www.abbaziasannilo.org.