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The Church of St Donatus in Castelnuovo di Farfa: Sabine history in a song
Nestled in the countryside along a nature trail, the Chiesa di San Donato (Church of St Donatus) in Castelnuovo di Farfa stands as a place of quiet significance. Today it is a stop on the Sabina Olive Oil Museum route, but its importance is historical. It is a rare physical testimony to the transition from the Roman agricultural world to the medieval one. A visit to the church holds a wholly unexpected acoustic surprise.
A history that reaches far back
Documents from the Abbey of Farfa record ownership of the farmstead as early as 768, and the presence of a church in 817. Later, in 1046, a castellum stood here — one of the original settlements that would lead to the establishment of the village. Used for worship at least until the 16th century, it was subsequently abandoned, and its ruins were eventually incorporated into an agricultural building.
The restoration and the voice from the past
In the late 1990s the municipality acquired the complex. The the original volume of the church was rebuilt, based solely on the floor plans that emerged from archaeological excavations, making for a deeply respectful intervention. Inside, there is no furnishing to speak of, but visitors can listen to a contemporary chant that uses the Latin words of a chrism Mass hymn for Holy Thursday composed by St Ephrem the Syrian.
The church is a station on the Sabina Olive Oil Museum route. It is advisable to check the museum's official website for information on tickets and opening times. It can be reached on foot from the centre of Castelnuovo di Farfa.
