In places of St. Benedict of Norcia
The San Felice abbey, located in an isolated spot overlooking the area, can be found not far from the village of Giano dell'Umbria. Of uncertain origin, according to the Foligno historian Ludovico Jacobilli the foundation of the complex can be dated to 950 when a Benedictine monastic community was founded there, whereas the construction of the church and the monastery dates back to the beginning of the 12th century. This is a land strongly marked by the Benedictine culture, with its monastery, abbeys and unique spots, where the silence and beauty of the scenery suggest meditation and getting closer to God.
Thus you will be able to experience the rule of prayer and labour -ora et labora- as an authentic experience. Spiritual quest and secular commitment take shape within the monastic community. Throughout the centuries, religious people abandoned the austere withdrawal within abbeys and got closer to the local populations, becoming the spiritual, cultural and economic focus of their communities and decisively contributing to the cultural and moral rebirth of the continent after the Barbarian invasions.
The trail starts from Massa Martana, the Martani mountains evangelised around the 4th century by the first Christians, who moved along the ancient route of the via Flaminia and expressed the Benedictine way through two important abbey complexes built on the foundations of Roman structures: the abbey of Saints Fidenzio and Terenzio, and the abbey of Santa Maria in Pantano. Please note that the visit of the abbey of Saints Fidenzio and Terenzio, under private ownership, is allowed on Sunday mornings after 10.
The church of Santa Maria in Pantano is one of the most ancient and interesting in Umbria. Follow the traces of Benedictine presence in the territory surrounding Terni, passing villages and castles rich in history, with the last stop at the San Nicolò complex, built inside the historical centre of San Gemini. This abbey, inhabited by Benedictine monks, was dedicated to the cult of Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra.
