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The Former Monastery of San Salvatore Minore in Scandriglia: Monastic Reform Before Francis
On the slopes of Monte Pendente, in the territory of Scandriglia and the heart of the Monti Lucretili Park, stands the former monastery of San Salvatore Minore. Founded in the 11th century at the behest of Marquis Uberto, it was the first coenobium of St Dominic of Sora (or Foligno), a reforming monk who, two centuries before Franciscanism, proposed an alternative to the traditional Benedictine rule: less feudal accumulation, more labour in the community — land reclamation, forest clearance, woodland management.
A Monastery Contested for Centuries
Dominic did not stay long: having appointed a certain Costanzo as abbot, he moved on to Abruzzo and then Ciociaria. In 1083 Count Todino ceded the monastery to the Abbey of Farfa, which maintained control over it through disputes, armed insurrections and papal interventions. In 1311 the abbot Gregorio led a revolt so violent that it caused fires and looting. In 1497 Pope Alexander VI suppressed abbatial dignity (or the position of abbot), and the complex became a fief. In 1876 it passed to the Royal Domain.
Romanesque Architecture and Two Courtyards
The regular-plan structure develops around two courtyards, with workshops on the ground floor, and monastic cells on the upper floors. The church had three altars. The ancient mule track known as the "Ginocchio du bove", which connected Scandriglia to Orvinio, sets out from here. The monastery can only be reached on foot.
