The Abbey of San Magnus (it:Abbazia di San Magno di Fondi) is a monastery and church at the base of Monte Arcano, outside of the town of

Fondi Fondi ( la, Fundi; Southern Laziale: ''Fùnn'') is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy, halfway between Rome and Naples. As of 2017, the city had a population of 39,800. The city has experienced steady population ...

in the province of Latina, region of Lazio, Italy.

History

According to a history by the Pope and Saint Gregory the Great, a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monastery was erected in 522 by the abbot and

Saint Honoratus of Fondi In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

and dedicated to St Magnus, putatively an early second century Christian martyr. The site was never free of the turmoil of the early medieval period. In 847, during the sack of the town of Fondi, the captain Plato of Veroli looted the relics of San Magnus and moved to them to a church of Sant'Andrea in Veroli. Putatively during a Saracen raid of

Veroli Veroli ( la, Verulae) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, central Italy, in the Latin Valley. History Veroli (''Verulae'') became a Roman municipium in 90 BC. It became the seat of a bishopric in 743 AD, and was occupied ...

, the remains were moved to

Anagni Anagni () is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, Latium, central Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical and artistic center of the Latin Valley. Geography Overview Anagni still maintains the ...

. In 1072, the monastery was donated to the

Abbey of Montecassino An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

; however in 1492, the pope Alexander VI transferred the monastery to the

Olivetan order The Olivetans, formally known as the Order of Our Lady of Mount Olivet, are a monastic order. They were founded in 1313 and recognised in 1344. They use the Rule of Saint Benedict and are a member of the Benedictine Confederation, where they are ...

. In the 15th century under the patronage of Prospero Colonna, the abbey was almost entirely rebuilt. The layout of the original church remains, as does the Romanesque-style crypt.Storia di Fondi: cenni dei paesi formanti il suo ex stato e delle città
by Giovanni Conte Colino, Real Tipografia di Francesco Giannini e figli, Naples (1902);pages 203-205. The apse and transept contain remains of 12th-century frescoes. Further damage to the structure was performed during the French occupation of 1797. The structure belongs today to the archdiocese of Gaeta, and is under restoration.

References

Bibliography

* Nicoletta Cassieri e Daniela Quadrino
''Fondi. S. Magno, loc. Divinité inconnue / monastère''
in C. Ferrante, J.-C. Lacam, D. Quadrino (ed.), ''Fana, templa, delubra. Corpus dei luoghi di culto dell'Italia antica (FTD), 4, Regio I. Fondi, Formia, Minturno'', Ponza, Roma 2015, pp. 24–28

External links

Official website of the Fraternità Monastero di San Magno Comune of Fondi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnus Fondi Benedictine monasteries in Italy Monasteries in Lazio Renaissance architecture in Lazio Churches in the province of Latina