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The Abbey of
Montecassino
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About 90 km south of Rome is
the city of Cassino. On the mountain overlooking the city stands the
Abbey of Montecassino which symbolizes the endurance and resilience of the
Christian faith. This abbey is of special importance because it has
been destroyed and rebuilt on four separate occasions, the most recent was in
1944 near the end of W.W.II. The view from the top of the mountain is
spectacular. Unfortunately, on the day of our visit the weather was not
cooperative, so there are no pictures of the beautiful view. However,
you will see some great pictures of the monastery and some of its
treasures. -DP |
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Historical Outline The Monte cassino Monastery was founded by
St. Benedict about 529 A.D. on the remnants of a pre-existing Roman
fortification of the Municipum Casinum. The heathen cult was still
practiced on this mountain site in the temple of Apollo and in a nearby holy
grove to which a sacrifice area was adjoining. Montecassino became famous for the prodigious life
and the Sepulcher of its founder. Through the ages, the abbey was
looked upon as a place of holiness, culture and art for which it became
renowned on a world-wide level. Around 577, the monastery was destroyed by
the Longobards of Zotone, Duke of Beneventum, but early in the eighth century
Pope Gregory II commissioned the Brescian Petronace to rebuild the monastery. In 883, the Saracens invaded and sacked the Monastery
and burnt it down, causing the death of Bertarius its saint Abbot, Founder of
medieval Cassino. The surviving monks first fled to Teano and later to
Capua. Monastic life was only fully resumed towards the middle of the
tenth century, thanks to Abbot Aligerno. The third destruction, caused by an earthquake,
occurred in 1349. Nothing but a few walls remained of Abbot Desiderius'
splendid building. Many new additions and embellishments were
made during reconstruction so that the Abbey acquired the greatness and the
imposing appearance it conserved until February 15, 1944, during the final
stage of world war II when Montecassino happened to be on the firing
line. This place of prayer and study which had become in these
exceptional circumstances a peaceful shelter for hundreds of defenceless
civilians, in only three hours was reduced to a heap of debris under which
many of the refugees met their death. Reconstruction and decoration works took more
than a decade and were exclusively financed by the Italian State. |
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Credit for the text in this tour: |
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