A Brief History of the Abbey

900 - Bonizo “Vir Magnificus” occupies the Etruscan site.

1064 - Construction of the tower commences

1100 - (28th May) The Church is consecrated

1109 - The monastery is established by papal bull on the 29th
of April 1110 with Guido as “Abbas” with seven or eight monks.

1367 - The Abbey is sacked by the English mercenary
Sir John Hawkwood (known as Giovanni Acuto).

1468 - The Abbey is endowed with the Roman church of
San Salvatore in Lauro.

1592 - Having been refused food and drink, the outlaw Alfani and his followers storm the Abbey, imprison the monks and lead the naked Abbot round the village with a noose round his “private parts” until he agrees to leave Umbria for ever – after paying a large ransom.

1593 - A severe earthquake causes the top of the tower to fall and leads to the still visible, and dated, buttressing of the west wall.

1699 - The Abbey is secularised and for nearly a hundred years contains no religious community.

1770 - The monastery is reborn under the Cistercian order and struggled for survival for another 38 years.

1808 - The monks depart, leaving only the church that remains active for another 20 years.

1860 - The national suppression of religious houses allows the State to sell the Abbey and the land to a private owner.

1969 - The abandoned ruins of the Abbey are bought by Mr.Guy Norton who sets about the restoration of the entire estate to its present high standard.

2003 - Title to Abbadia Celestina passes to current owners.