The Great Sienese Abbeys

St. Antimo

The abbey of Sant'Antimo was erected in a valley between the hills of Castellari and D'Arna near the inhabited area of Castelnuovo dell'Abate about 10 kilometers from Montalcino (html file).

Its origins are lost in the times around 781 when Charlemagne went to Rome on a pilgrimage and received as gifts from Pope Adrian I various relics of the Saints Sebastian and Antimo

During the return trip, he was struck by a violent sickness.

To give thanks to God for when the pestilence ended, he founded a monastery on which the abbey of Sant'Antimo was later built.

When the pestilence finished, for make grace to God, he founded the ancient monastery on which then came erect the Abbey.

Ancient documents give credit to the Abbots Tao and Tanimondo for the building of the monastery dedicated to the Benedictine rule.

The abbots held the titles of Counts and Advisors of the Holy Roman Empire, and their holdings and jurisdiction reached throughout the Maremma and Pistoia, as well as Siena.

There occurred a long slow period of decadence for the abbey from those times until today.

The abbey was recently restored thanks to the local population.

The abbey hosts several frescoes, including one in the crypt of Jesus exiting the sepulchre between two angels.

The wooden Crucifix that hangs over the main altar is also very beautiful.

A suggestion: the acoustics of the abbey are truly exceptional.

Don't leave without buying a CD of Gregorian chants recorded inside the abbey itself - MYSTERIUM-"La pietra che canta" or "The Stone That Sings".