Are you looking for a little known place in the surroundings of Rome?
Perhaps spending a day with family or friends just a stone’s throw from beautiful Lake Albano? Where you can relax after your visit by enjoying a picnic, sunbathing or even a barbecue, thanks to the many equipped areas along the lake shores.
Then the Greek Abbey of San Nilo is for you!
The history of the Greek Abbey of San Nilo
Just 30 km from Rome we come across the Hexarchic Monastery of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, also known as the Greek Abbey of San Nilo. It was founded in 1004 by a group of monks from Byzantine Calabria led by St Nilo of Rossano, a leading spiritual figure of his time and already the founder of other monasteries.
The co-founder was St. Bartholomew, who finished the work after Nilo’s death, a year after his arrival in the Grottaferrata area. His relics should be found inside the monastery together with those of Nilo, but nowadays they have not been found.
The celebrations in the church follow the Byzantine rite and are in Greek and on some specific occasions are in Albanian.
The church, built in Romanesque style in the 16th century, was adapted to the Baroque style in vogue at the time by covering the frescoes on the walls and columns with white stucco.
The structure has been left the same, in line with the classical Byzantine style with which it was built. Worth a visit inside the Farnese Chapel decorated with beautiful frescoes of St. Nilo. At the beginning of the apse is the spectacular Baroque iconostasis designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and commissioned by Francesco Barberini. The mosaics on the triumphal arch are also very attractive.
A visit to the Museum
The abbey also includes a museum, which has only recently been open again, in fact the large entrance door was closed for a long time. We highly recommend the visit as it is a small pearl that contains many treasures to admire, many remains of statues, slabs and objects of various kinds.
It is divided into several rooms on one floor, and the short film shown in the last room is very interesting, illustrating the objects in the museum very well.
The Sangallo courtyard, so called because it is attributed to the architect Giuliano da Sangallo, is a place of great peace and tranquility, where you can stroll through the greenery among orange trees and a long portico also adorned with various capitals and square columns.
Free to visit from Monday to Saturday, the museum costs €4, so don’t miss this hidden gem that can be reached from Rome by train/bus or car.
A must if you are passing through the Castelli Romani or if you choose a Castel Gandolfo tour from Rome, it is definitely worth the day.
A mystical and evocative place that exudes a feeling of tranquility and serenity beyond all limits, not to mention the beauty of the place and the breathtaking view.
An ideal place if you want to spend a day outdoors discovering new places.
