Valvisciolo Abbey [SEP] religious order
Valvisciolo Abbey
Valvisciolo Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in the province of Latina, central Italy, near the towns of Sermoneta and Ninfa.
It is an example of rigorous Romanesque-Cistercian architecture, considered a masterpiece of that style in central Italy second only to the nearby Fossanova Abbey.
History.
According to tradition, the abbey was founded in the 8th century by Greek Basilian monks. Some sources state that it was established in 1145 by the monks of Cistercian order, by monks from the Abbey of Fossanova.
Valvisciolo
Valvisciolo is a historical location in Latium, Italy, close to Sermoneta and Latina. Known mainly for the Valvisciolo Abbey, this locality also includes important archaeological remains of a prehistoric, hillside settlement at the Valvisciolo/Caracupa site. The site is a terraced settlement utilizing megalithic architecture, perhaps in technical terms an early predecessor of the more developed polygonal masonry of the later first millennium BC. Occupation on the site ends in the sixth century BC, with local populations perhaps shifting to the Latin city of Norba which was incorporated