Photo: Livioandronico2013, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
At a glance
- Type
- Abbey / Monastery
- Period
- Middle Ages, 554
- Style
- Romanesque art
- Protection
- Italian national heritage
- Coordinates
- 42°13′18″ N, 12°43′07″ E
- Address
- Via Del Monastero 1, Fara in Sabina
History and description
Farfa Abbey (Italian: Abbazia di Farfa) is a territorial abbey in northern Lazio, central Italy. In the Middle Ages, it was one of the richest and most famous abbeys in Italy. It belongs to the Benedictine Order and is located about 60 km (37 mi) from Rome, in the comune (municipality) of Fara Sabina, of which it is also a frazione (hamlet).
In 2016 it was added to the "tentative" list to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of a group of eight Italian medieval Benedictine monasteries, representing "The cultural landscape of the Benedictine settlements in medieval Italy".
History
A legend in the 12th-century Chronicon Farfense (Chronicle of Farfa) dates the founding of a monastery at Farfa to the time of the Emperors Julian, or Gratian, and attributes the founding to Laurence the Illuminator, a Syrian who had come to Rome with his sister, Susannah, together with other monks, and had been made Bishop of Spoleto. According to the tradition, after being named bishop, he became enamoured of the monastic life, and chose a forested hill near the Farfa stream, a tributary of the Tiber, to build a church and a monastery. Archaeological discoveries in 1888 find strong evidence that the first monastic establishment was built on the ruins of a pagan temple. This first monastery was devastated by the Vandals in the fifth century. Only a handful of sixth-century finds document the early presence of the monastic community.
In the seventh century, a wave of Irish monasticism spread over Italy. The foundation the Abbey of Saint Columbanus in Bobbio and of Farfa by monks from Gaul, about 681, heralded a revival of the great Benedictine tradition in Italy. The Constructio Monasterii Farfensis, which dates probably from 857, relates at length the story of its principal founder Thomas of Maurienne; he had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and spent three years there. While in prayer before the Holy Sepulchre, the Virgin Mary in a vision warned him to return to Italy, and restore Farfa; and the Duke of Spoleto. Faroald II, who had also had a vision, was commanded to aid in this work. At a very early date traces of this legend appear in connexion with the foundation by three nobles from Benevento of the monastery of St Vincent on the Volturno, over which Farfa claimed jurisdiction. Thomas died in 720; and for more than a century Frankish abbots ruled at Farfa. …
Cathedral
The cathedral has a huge Romanesque gate, with magnificent floral friezes. The interior has three naves, and the middle one is surmounted with a lunette representing the Virgin and the Child. The Renaissance hall has several chapels: the most venerated image of Farfa is housed in the Crucifix Chapel. The interior wall of the façade has a large canvas depicting the Last Judgment (1571) by the Flemish painter Hendrick van den Broeck.
Ruins of the ancient 9th century church are included in the church and the monastery. In 1961, in the apse, a precious Roman sarcophagus from the 1st or 2nd century AD was discovered. The large cloister is from the 16th century. The bell tower belongs to the original Carolingian buildings. Inside, at the lower end, Abbot Sichard had an oratory built.
Text from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Full article: «Farfa Abbey».
Timeline
- 554 ADBuilt
Events and people from Wikidata (CC0).
Photos
Getting there
Poggio MirtetoTrain, nearest
7.4 km as the crow flies
Farfa AbbeyVia Del Monastero 1, Fara in Sabina
Distances are as the crow flies, not walking or driving.
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Nearby
See on the mapMore abbeys and monasteries in Lazio
- Free 1st Sunday
- Free 1st Sunday
Frequently asked questions
Where is Farfa Abbey?
Farfa Abbey is in Fara in Sabina, in the province of Rieti (Lazio), Italy. Address: Via Del Monastero 1, Fara in Sabina. GPS coordinates: 42.22167, 12.71861.
How old is Farfa Abbey?
Wikidata dates it to 554.
What else is there to see near Farfa Abbey?
Nearby you’ll find: Saint Martin's Abbey (900 m away), Torre Baccelli (1.7 km away), Modern Automata Museum (3.3 km away).
Sources and licences
Text. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Data. Wikidata (CC0); opening hours and contacts OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Photos. Wikimedia Commons, author and licence on every image.
Credits for the 9 photos
- Abbazia di Farfa veduta — Livioandronico2013, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Abbazia di Farfa - borgo - gennaio 2011 — Alessandro Antonelli, CC BY 3.0
- Abbazia di Farfa - cortile (1) - gennaio 2011 — Alessandro Antonelli, CC BY 3.0
- Abbazia di Farfa - cortile (2) - gennaio 2011 — Alessandro Antonelli, CC BY 3.0
- Abbazia di Farfa - cortile (3) - gennaio 2011 — Alessandro Antonelli, CC BY 3.0
- Abbazia di Farfa - cortile davanti alla chiesa - gennaio 2010 — Alessandro Antonelli, CC BY 3.0
- Abbazia di Farfa - entrata - gennaio 2011 — Alessandro Antonelli, CC BY 3.0
- Abbazia di Farfa - frontale della chiesa (1) - gennaio 2010 — Alessandro Antonelli, CC BY 3.0
- Abbazia di Farfa - frontale della chiesa (2) - gennaio 2010 — Alessandro Antonelli, CC BY 3.0
Updated 28 October 2026. All sources and licences