Sacro Speco

cave, Subiaco, Italy

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Last updated

July 13, 2026

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Sacro Speco, meaning "Holy Grotto," is a cave located in Subiaco, Italy, that holds significant historical and religious importance. It is famously known as the place where Saint Benedict of Nursia lived as a hermit around 494 CE. Above the former location of Nero's villa and three lakes, this cave became a spiritual retreat for Benedict before he founded twelve monasteries in the region. The site features 13th-century frescoes within the cave and the lower church, while the upper church displays works by Sienese school painters from the 13th and 14th centuries. The nearby Abbey of San Benedetto and the Church of Santa Scholastica, dedicated to Saint Benedict's sister, also contain notable historical and artistic elements, including the site of Italy's first printing press established in 1464.1

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Subiaco
494) to a cave, Sacro Speco (“Holy Grotto”), above the lakes; he founded 12 monasteries in the district before departing for Cassino. The Abbey of San Benedetto on the mountain slope has 9th-century frescoes in the Grotta dei Pastori (“Grotto of the Shepherds”). St. Benedict’s cave and the lower…
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494) to a cave, Sacro Speco (“Holy Grotto”), above the lakes; he founded 12 monasteries in the district before departing for Cassino. The Abbey of San Benedetto on the mountain slope has 9th-century frescoes in the Grotta dei Pastori (“Grotto of the Shepherds”). St. Benedict’s cave and the lower…
Read More