{"id":8630,"date":"2019-02-15T10:00:30","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T10:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whereelse.it\/?p=8630"},"modified":"2019-05-15T17:13:21","modified_gmt":"2019-05-15T15:13:21","slug":"subiaco-the-city-of-benedictine-monasteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whereelse.it\/en\/subiaco-the-city-of-benedictine-monasteries\/","title":{"rendered":"SUBIACO: THE CITY OF BENEDICTINE MONASTERIES"},"content":{"rendered":"

For those looking for a destination for a trip or for a weekend, or for those who love to visit the treasures of art and history in Italy, I highly recommend visiting Subiaco<\/strong>, which was a delightful discovery for me.<\/p>\n

\n

An extraordinary and timeless place, a true oasis of peace, of profound spirituality and culture due to the presence of its two\u00a0monasteries<\/strong>:\u00a0San Benedetto<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Santa Scolastica<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Subiaco<\/h2>\n

For those looking for a destination for a trip or for a weekend, or for those who love to visit the treasures of art and history of Italy, I highly recommend visiting Subiaco<\/strong>, which was a delightful discovery for me.<\/p>\n

An extraordinary and timeless place, a true oasis of peace, of profound spirituality and culture due to the presence of its\u00a0monasteries<\/strong>:\u00a0San Benedetto<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Santa Scolastica<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Subiaco<\/strong>\u00a0is a picturesque town in the\u00a0province of Rome<\/strong>, a\u00a0medieval village <\/strong>in the wooded mountains about the\u00a0Aniene River<\/strong>, at the north-eastern most part of the\u00a0Roman countryside<\/a><\/strong>. In fact, this area owes its name to the “Simbruina Stagna”, the artificial ponds created by the Roman Emperor\u00a0Nero<\/strong>\u00a0that barred the course of the Aniene river surrounding the emperor\u2019s villa.<\/p>\n

In this area, at the end of the 5th century, the young\u00a0Benedetto da Norcia<\/strong>\u00a0retired to a cave, today known as the “Sacro Speco”, which he chose as the first hermitage and where\u00a0he founded the Benedictine order<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"libri-miniati-subiaco\"<\/p>\n

From this ancient spiritual adventure, the Benedictine presence and the memory of the monasteries founded by St. Benedict remain in Subiaco.<\/p>\n

The town of Subiaco undoubtedly has medieval charm and it is pleasant place to spend time, however the greatest attraction from an artistic and religious point of view is constituted by the two monasteries. They are located outside of town, just a few kilometers away.<\/p>\n

Although it is possible to reach the monasteries by car and there are parking areas, I preferred to walk to the two monuments, to fully enjoy the beauty of the area. The road, in fact, passes next to the ruins of the\u00a0ancient villa of Nerone<\/strong>\u00a0and then goes uphill among vineyards and olive groves allowing you to enjoy the magnificent\u00a0view<\/strong>\u00a0of Subiaco and the wild and evocative panorama of the\u00a0Aniene valley<\/strong>, close to the limestone mountains.<\/p>\n

The Monastery of Santa Scolastica<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"santa
Santa Scolastica in Subiaco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The first\u00a0religious complex\u00a0<\/strong>that you arrive at coming from\u00a0Subiaco<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0Santa Scolastica<\/strong>, the only surviving monastery of the original\u00a013 structures founded in the area by Saint Benedict<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Here, a very prepared guide showed me every detail of the\u00a0path between cloisters<\/strong>, including a gothic one characterized by a large arch of gothic-flamboyant shapes with Catalan influences, and by the presence of a well in the center, flanked by two columns coming from Nero\u2019s villa.<\/p>\n

From here we entered the\u00a0church<\/strong>\u00a0with a fourteenth-century facade, a beautiful Romanesque\u00a0bell<\/strong>\u00a0tower and an interior decorated with\u00a0fifteenth-century frescoes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The church allows access to another cloister, perhaps the most beautiful in the convent, decorated by the\u00a0thirteenth century mosaic masters<\/strong>. The portico that frames the rectangular floor plan is made up of groups of small arches with smooth and twisted columns that hold graceful capitals.<\/p>\n

The place is timeless:\u00a0it seems to go back in the Middle Ages<\/strong>, when the ancient monks walked in prayer under those beautiful arcades.<\/p>\n

The plunge into the Middle Ages is complete when you look into the\u00a0monastery library<\/strong>, which contains important\u00a0illuminated manuscripts<\/strong>,\u00a0incunabula<\/strong>\u00a0and even\u00a0the first book published in Italy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Monastery of San Benedetto<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"san-benedetto-subiaco\"
The Monastery of San Benedetto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Returning to the main road you quickly arrive at the\u00a0Monastery of San Benedetto<\/strong>, called the\u00a0Sacro Speco<\/strong>\u00a0because it was built at the end of the twelfth century above the cave where Saint Benedict spent the first years of monastic life.<\/p>\n

The main sanctuary of the Benedictine order<\/strong>, the monastery is in a splendid position under a high rock face and presents itself as a group of extremely picturesque buildings, dominated by a small tower and resting on nine arches.<\/p>\n

The complex includes\u00a0two small overlapping churches<\/strong>\u00a0and a series of\u00a0chapels and caves connected by stairways<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

First we visit the 16th-century\u00a0upper church<\/strong>, extremely evocative, with a single nave decorated with\u00a0frescoes from the artistic schools of Siena and Umbria-Marches<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Descend two flights of stairs to arrive at the\u00a0lower church<\/strong>: a\u00a0truly unique place<\/strong>that will leave you speechless. In fact the\u00a0chapels, located at different levels<\/strong>\u00a0and entirely\u00a0carved out of the rock<\/strong>, are\u00a0adorned with frescoes from the 13th-14th century<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

An atmosphere of intimate spirituality pervades the air, this area is also the\u00a0entrance to the Sacro Speco<\/strong>, where St. Benedict spent three years in solitude.<\/p>\n

Finally we arrive at the\u00a0Holy Stairs<\/strong>, so called because it was built on the steep path that St. Benedict used to ascend to the Sacro Speco. This, too, is decorated with frescoes.<\/p>\n

A splendid visit at the two monasteries, from a cultural, artistic and religious point of view. A day trip that is enriching and enables you to better understand the history and traditions that still influence the people of the Roman countryside.<\/p>\n

It is possible to take guided tours of the two monasteries in one day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For those looking for a destination for a trip or for a weekend, or for those who love to visit the treasures of art and history in Italy, I highly recommend visiting Subiaco, which was a delightful discovery for me. An extraordinary and timeless place, a true oasis of peace, of profound spirituality and culture […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[94],"tags":[120,119],"yoast_head":"\nSUBIACO: THE CITY OF BENEDICTINE MONASTERIES - Where Else<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Subiaco. 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