The Abbey
The abbey of Santa Maria di Farfa is a monastery that takes its name from the river "Farfarus" named after the Latin poet Ovid.
The abbey was founded between 560 and 570. It is said that its origin is due to the Virgin Mary who appeared in a vision to two historical figures.
Monk Thomas of Moriana had a vision of the Virgin while praying at the Holy Sepulcher, during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. She told him to return to Italy and to restore Farfa, and the Virgin also appeared to the Duke of Spoleto Faroaldo to command him to help the Monk Thomas of Moriana in this work.
Tommaso then became the first abbot of Farfa and he gave rise to the re-foundation of the monastic community. For more than a century the Frankish abbots governed it.
Charlemagne stayed at the abbey a few weeks before being crowned in St. Peter's on 25 December 800.
During the reign of Charlemagne, the abbey had the maximum building development, which modified its original structure so much that it has only recently been possible to rebuild it. In a few decades it became one of the best known and most prestigious centers of medieval Europe.
With the decline of the Carolingian Empire, in the Ottonian period, the abbey, which referred to the emperor and not to the Pope, embraced the Cluniac reform.
The monks of Farfa owned 683 churches or monastic communities, two cities (Civitavecchia and Alatri), 132 castles, 16 fortresses, 7 ports, 8 mines, 14 villages, 82 mills and controlled 315 villages.
In 1268, the victory of the popes over Conradin of Swabia put an end to the Germanic rule in Italy.
The monastery entered the Cassino Congregation in 1547.
In 1861, after the annexation of this territory to the Kingdom of Italy, part of the assets were sold to private citizens. Count Giuseppe Volpi donated property and some land to the monastery.
In 1928 Farfa was declared a national monument.
Even today the Benedictine monks live in an atmosphere of profound spirituality remaining dedicated to their daily activities marked by the rule "pray and work".
Basilica architecture
The abbey is of the basilican type and has a Latin cross plan and three naves. The facade has a portal with a marble frame which is surmounted by a fresco painted lunette depicting the Madonna and Child being crowned by two angels between Saints Benedict and Scholastica. On the façade, surmounted by a triangular pediment, there are three rose windows, one in correspondence with each internal nave.
The interior of the church maintains the original structure and presents elements of the Baroque style, with the naves divided by two rows of round arches resting on Ionic marble columns. The Last Judgment by Dirck Barendsz (1561) is painted on the counter-façade.
The high altar is surmounted by the valuable ciborium which presents, on the cusp, the bas-relief of the Assumption of Mary.
The monastery
The monastery is organized around the cloister where many medieval pieces are exhibited, including a plaque relating to Abbot Sicardo (9th century), while medieval frescoes have been found at the base of the abbey tower.
There is a beautiful state library attached to the abbey where you can find many volumes (including manuscripts, codices etc.) which in difficult times did not go to other locations. Even a copy of Diderot's "Encyclopedia" is on display, demonstrating the cultural openness of the abbey center.
The village of Farfa
Around the abbey there are the characteristic low houses of the Borgo di Farfa with the pretty shops run by skilled craftsmen who sell fabrics, embroideries and ceramics.
For more information: https://www.abbaziadifarfa.it/
Morning 10:00 - 11:00 - 12:00
Afternoon (daylight saving time) 15:30 - 16:30
Monday closed
Tel (+39) 0765 277065
