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The Monastery of St Luke in Guarcino: the Benedictine hermitage perched above the River Cosa
At 700 metres above sea level, in the Val Cosa valley among the Hernici Mountains, the Monastery of San Luca is built directly above the torrent below. According to tradition it was founded by St Benedict around 528, during his journey from Subiaco to Montecassino. Built in ashlar masonry, with twin-arched and triple-arched windows filtering the light, it has a single nave and the austere atmosphere of early medieval construction. In the courtyard is the Fount of St Luke, a source of exceptionally pure, low-mineral water that can still be drunk today.
Nuns, sackings and a paper mill
In 1256, the Benedictine nuns of Alatri obtained from Bishop Giovanni the grant of the monastery, which had stood empty. Pope Alexander IV confirmed this with a papal bull of January 1257. Many of the nuns came from aristocratic families, and their dowries ensured a comfortable life even though cloistered. In 1587 they were transferred to the convent of Sant'Angelo in the village. San Luca became a storehouse, then was sacked during the French Revolution — the bust of St Benedict, monstrances, chalices and 85 pounds of silver were all carried off. In the 19th century it became a paper mill, and later fell into disrepair.
Rebirth: a house of prayer
In 1960, the Figlie della Madonna del Divino Amore (Daughters of Our Lady of Divine Love) purchased the complex and restored it. Since 1992 it has been open as a guesthouse and spiritual retreat. Those seeking silence find simple rooms, wholesome home cooking, and surrounding woods of birch and holm oak. A few miles away lies Campocatino with its ski slopes.
