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The Abbey of Valvisciolo

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In the land where the rules of history have

ALWAYS BEEN DICTATED BY POWER AND FAITH, the Abbey of Valvisciolo has always been an important point of reference in monastic life. The uncertain origin of the Abbey's name is the first sign of its complex history. Valvisciola may derive from a simple naturalistic reference: vallis lusciniae, nightingale valley, or possibly valley of the "visciole", the wild cherries that grow in the area, at the foot of Monte Corvino. The first founding monks were Greek Basilians of Saint Nilo in the 8th century and later, in the 13th century the abbey was rebuilt by the Cistercian Fathers who definitively took over. According to tradition it was also an ancient Templar centre until the suppression of the order, in the early 14th century. This theory is confirmed by the presence in the rose window of the church of a small cross of the order of the Templars carved in the left side of the central oculus. The small cross was also found in the ceilings of the cloister (north wing) during the restoration

of 1956-1957.

The presence in Valvisciolo of Knights of the Order of the Temple, the monastic-military order instituted by Hugo de Payns at the beginning of 12th century to defend holy places, would have doubtless been an exceptional event but explainable through the famous connection between the Knights and Cistercian monasticism, as indicated clearly in the final formula of the Templar vow. The monks of the Abbey of Carpineto Romano, originally called Valvisciolo, moved from there in the 14th century to the new monastery and brought the name with them.

Together with the Abbey of Fossanova, the Abbey of Valvisciolo is a true jewel of gothic-Cistercian architecture, with the simple facade, the

ABBEYS AND MONASTERIES

Sermoneta: the Abbey of Valvisciolo.

Sermoneta: the Abbey of Valvisciolo.

portal, the beautiful rose window with a 5mt diameter, and the oculus.

The Church, simple in its interior too, has three naves with pointed arches and gothic arches in the main one, and the Choir with a rectangular plan creates a sense of intimacy in these distant places so full of history. Baroque paintings and frescoes are the only decorative element. The Monastery building contains numerous beautiful rooms, such as the Capitular Hall of the 12th century, the Refectory and the elegant Cloister with a square plan and double lancet windows with small columns and elegant capitals.