The Monastery

The Abbey of Farfa (province of Rieti), takes its name from the river of the same name that flows nearby, the Farfarus mentioned by Ovid, is located under Mount Acuziano where the remains of an ancient monastery are still visible today. Located about 50 km from Rome, it is surrounded by very generous vegetation and rich in local oil production, the gold of the Sabina. In the village there are various artisan activities that benefit from the spiritual and cultural tourism that flocks every year in particularly large numbers, attracted by the environment, art and the heritage of faith.
The Sublacense Benedictine community has been enriched in recent years by a group of monks from Sri Lanka, with the Beato Placido Riccardi Foundation founded by Prior Dom Eugenio Gargiulo who passed away in 2023.

The History

The Abbey of Farfa has gone through alternating periods of prosperity and decadence: Charlemagne conferred on it the title of imperial abbey with all the associated privileges. The invasions of the Saracens progressively destroyed the abbey’s power, which, towards the end of the century. XII again found a period of development documented by the Benedictine monk Gregorio da Catino who in the prestigious Scriptorium Farfense the Regesto di Farfa, the Chronicon, the Liber Largitorius and the Floriger. The noble Orsini family built today’s basilica in 1494. At the beginning of the 20th century, Blessed Placido Riccardi first and Blessed Cardinal Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster gave a new vocational impulse to the monastery. Farfa Abbey was declared a national monument in 1928.

The Activities

• Hospitality – The monastery welcomes tourists and pilgrims also through forms of agreed hospitality at the Reception House of the Sisters of Santa Brigida. The monastery guesthouse is currently under renovation.  
• Tourism – The monastery structure welcomes tens of thousands of people annually, including pilgrims and visitors.
• Library – The state library, a national monument of Farfa. It is open to the public for study purposes.
• Cultural Activities – The Abbey promotes and hosts numerous cultural events within the monastery during the year.