The Abbey of St. Nilo, also known as St. Mary of Grottaferrata and consecrated in 1024 by Pontiff John XIX, houses Basilian religious who follow the Byzantine rite, proper to the Church of Constantinople. The Monastery was founded about 50 years before the Eastern Schism, and after it the Cryptense cenobium always remained faithful to the Church of Rome, so Catholics can participate in the Byzantine rite celebrated in the Abbey of St. Nilus and approach the Sacraments there. On the outside, the Monastery is enclosed by a massive crenellated wall equipped with a patrol walkway and a fortress equipped with a semicircular tower, the building of which was decided in 1482 by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere for the control and defense of the place of worship. Currently, the main gateway decorated with celebratory bas-reliefs is still preserved, which was equipped with a drawbridge at the time. The present bridge accessing the Abbey introduces the courtyard with the large statue of St. Nilus and the Sangallo portico. The Church of Santa Maria is flanked by a Romanesque-style bell tower and has a facade adorned with a huge rose window. Through the door called the “speciosa” because of the rich decorations that cover it, one enters the interior of the Basilica. The interior ornaments, originally in the Romanesque style, were covered in 1754 with a dense stucco covering in the Baroque style. The wooden ceiling dates from 1577, the polychrome marble floor matches the 13th-century taste, and the triumphal arch dividing the nave from the chancel is decorated with 12th-century mosaics with scenes from Pentecost. The side nave contains the so-called Grotta Ferrata (cryptaferrata) and the Farnese Chapel with frescoes by Domenichino. The icon of Mary and Child by Gian Lorenzo Bernini stands out at the entrance to the apse, and behind it we have the shrine with the baldachin from which hangs the Silver Dove that holds the Blessed Sacrament.
The church is open to the public and can be visited. Inside the Abbey is an important Library where more than a thousand ancient manuscripts and about 50,000 valuable volumes are kept, some dating back to the years of the Abbey’s foundation and belonging to St. Nilus himself. In addition to the Library, since 1931 the Abbey has possessed a famous Ancient Book Restoration Laboratory, which counts among its most important works the restoration of the famous “Atlantic Codex” by Leonardo da Vinci; the Laboratory’s work was also instrumental in the restoration of the manuscripts saved from the 1966 Florence flood. Finally, also within the Abbey is an Archaeological Museum, which houses a rich collection of artifacts.
Free tours by the Bruno Martellotta Latin Archaeological Group Association: Saturdays and Sundays at 4 p.m., in summer at 5 p.m.