Sant'Antimo Abbey

This beautiful abbey church has inspired many poets and painters and enchants everyone who goes there. The ancient church, built of creamy travertine, is set against a background of tree-clad hills in the Starcia valley. The very earliest surviving church on the site dates back to the 9th century, but local people prefer to think the church was founded by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne, in 781. The main part of the church was built in 1118 in the French Romanesque style, and the exterior is decorated with interlaced blank arcades carved with the symbols of the Four Evangelists.
The soft, honey-coloured alabaster interior has an odd luminous quality which is seen to change according to time of day and season. The capitals in the nave are carved with geometric designs, leaf motifs and biblical scenes. Recorded plainsong echoes around the walls, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
The Augustinian monks who tend the church sing Gregorian chant at mass every Sunday and there are organ concerts in the church during July and August.