The Monastery of Santa Scolastica stands a little downstream from the Sacro Speco, along the same gorge of the Aniene above Subiaco, not far from San Vito Romano. Founded in 520 and originally dedicated to San Silvestro, it is the only one of the twelve monasteries built by Saint Benedict in this valley to have survived earthquakes and Saracen invasions, and is considered the oldest Benedictine monastery in Italy. Between the 11th and 12th centuries it experienced its peak, becoming one of the most powerful in the Papal States thanks to donations from kings and prelates.
The complex holds three cloisters from different eras and styles, spanning eight centuries of architectural history on their own: the 13th-century Cosmatesque cloister, with its elegant inlaid and twisted little columns, the 14th-century Gothic cloister, and the 16th-century Renaissance cloister.
A special chapter in the history of Italian culture was written here in 1465, when the German monks Arnold Pannartz and Konrad Sweynheym installed the first movable-type printing press on the peninsula: on 29 October of that year, the first pages ever printed in Italy came off the press, launching a publishing activity that would make the monastery a major cultural centre, with a library and archive that still preserve manuscripts and documents of great value today.
Still home to a community of Benedictine monks, the monastery is open to visitors and, together with the nearby Sacro Speco, is an essential stop for anyone wanting to discover the origins of Western monasticism.
Opening hours and contacts
The monastery is open to visitors every day; visits are accompanied by a guide and no booking is required:
- morning: 9:30 am – 12:15 pm;
- afternoon, in summer: 3:30 – 6:15 pm;
- afternoon, in winter: 3:30 – 5:15 pm.
Phone: +39 0774 82421
Opening hours may change, especially on public holidays: it is best to check them before setting off.
Sources: Benedictines of Subiaco for opening hours and phone, Italian Ministry of Culture for visiting arrangements (checked in October 2026).
Photo: Livioandronico2013, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.