Farfa Abbey

Farfa Abbey is a historic Benedictine monastery in northern Lazio, about 60 km from Rome, and part of the town of Fara Sabina. In the Middle Ages it was one of Italy’s richest and most influential abbeys. In 2016 it was placed on UNESCO’s tentative list as part of a group of major medieval Benedictine sites.

Founded on the ruins of a pagan temple, the first monastery existed by late antiquity but was destroyed by Vandals. The abbey was refounded around 681 by Thomas of Maurienne with support from the Lombards, and by the 8th–9th centuries it enjoyed major privileges from Lombard and Carolingian rulers. Though sacked by Saracens in 898, it was rebuilt and became an intellectual center, especially under Abbot Hugues (998–1010) and later Abbot Berard I. The monk Gregory of Catino created important archival works documenting the abbey’s vast holdings—hundreds of churches, castles, villages, and estates.

Power struggles and moral decline marked the 11th–12th centuries, and Farfa often aligned with the imperial (Ghibelline) side during the Investiture Controversy. From the 14th century it passed to commendatory abbots, including powerful families such as the Orsini, Della Rovere, and Farnese. After periods of decline, the abbey was suppressed in 1798 and again in 1861; much of its property was sold off.

A monastic community returned in 1920, and the abbey—now a national monument—was gradually restored.

Cathedral

The church features a Romanesque portal, a three-aisled interior, Renaissance chapels, and a large 1571 Last Judgment by Hendrick van den Broeck. The complex includes remains of a 9th-century church, a Roman sarcophagus, a 16th-century cloister, and a Carolingian bell tower.

Address
Via del Monastero 1, Fara in Sabina, Italy

Established
10th century AD