Norcia Abbey

The Abbey of St. Benedict on the Mountain (Italian: Abbazia di San Benedetto in Monte), also known as Norcia Abbey, is a Benedictine community of monks located in southeastern Umbria, just outside the city of Norcia, Italy. Originally founded in the 10th century, the abbey was closed by the Napoleonic Army as part of its suppression of religious communities. A new monastic community was founded in 1998 by a group of American monks which was formally established the following year as a priory directly under the supervision of the Abbot Primate.

The monks exclusively use the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite as well as the traditional form of the Divine Office. They have become well known for their production of beer, the sale of which provides income for the monastery, as well as for their best-selling album of Gregorian chant.

Until 2016, the monks were the custodians of the Basilica of St. Benedict in the center of Norcia, built above the birthplace of St. Benedict of Nursia and his twin sister, St. Scholastica. The basilica and monastery were partially destroyed in October 2016 in an earthquake which damaged much of Norcia and the surrounding area. As a result, the monks relocated to an abandoned Capuchin monastery and church located on a hillside 1.6 miles (2.6 km) east of the center of Norcia, where they have constructed temporary accommodations and constructed a larger, permanent monastery.

Restoration of the monastery was completed in time for the community's celebration on June 15, 2024 of the 25th anniversary of their founding.^[1]