Abbey of Sant'Antimo historical timeline

Last updated on October 14, 2026

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Late Classical period — archaeological investigation of the site, still incomplete, yields material from this era. The abbey's own origins remain obscure.
the late 8th century — the relics of Saint Anthimus of Rome, to whom the abbey's name may refer, are supposedly moved here.
December 813 — a land grant of Louis the Pious, now in the Archivio di Stato of Siena, becomes the earliest document relating to the abbey.
the time of Charlemagne — the foundation of the original Benedictine monastery is dated here, but the accounts of Charlemagne founding the abbey are without direct historical foundation: they first appear in a document of the emperor Henry III of 1051, more than two centuries later.
about 952 — the abbot receives full temporal powers in an imperial document.
before 1118 — after a bequest from Bernardo degli Ardengheschi, construction of the present church begins. The date is inscribed on the altar step and on a column to its left.
the 12th century — the abbey's greatest power: authority over 38 churches from Pisa to Grosseto and about 1,000 farm estates across Tuscany, with the castle of Montalcino as its most important possession and the abbot's residence.
1145 — blocked to the north by Florence, Siena turns on Montalcino, and the monks are forced to cede the castle of Radicofani to the Sienese.
1189 — Pope Clement III places the pieve of Montalcino under the bishop of Siena.
1200 — Filippo Malavolti, podestà of Siena, attacks and partly destroys Montalcino.
1212 — an agreement forces the abbey to hand over a quarter of its territories to Siena, Montalcino included. The town passes out of the abbey's hands.
1291 — Pope Nicholas IV orders the abbey's union with the Guglielmites, a reformed Benedictine branch, to restore its strength.
1462 — after further decay in the 15th century, Pope Pius II annexes Sant'Antimo to the new diocese of Montalcino-Pienza, whose bishop is his own nephew.
the 19th century — the abbey has decayed so far that it is used as a stable.
the 1870s — the Italian state restores it.
1992 — after many years of disuse it becomes an active monastery again, with a small community of Premonstratensian Canons Regular.
January 2016 — the occupants become a community of Olivetan Benedictine monks.

Verified against Wikipedia, October 2026.

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Checked against Wikipedia — The origins of the Abbey of Sant'Antimo are obscure and archaeological investigation of the site is incomplete though it has yielded artifacts from Late Classical times; the foundation of the original Benedictine monastery dates to the time of Charlemagne, but the various accounts of Charlemagne founding the abbey are without direct historical foundation and first appear in a document of the emperor Henry III from 1051., The name of the Abbey of Sant'Antimo may refer to Saint Anthimus of Rome, whose relics were supposedly moved there during the late 8th century., The earliest document relating to the Abbey of Sant'Antimo is a land grant of Louis the Pious dated December 813, now in the Archivio di Stato of Siena, and the abbot received full temporal powers in an imperial document of about 952., Following a bequest of Bernardo degli Ardengheschi, construction of the present church of Sant'Antimo was begun before 1118, a date inscribed on the altar step and on a column to the left of it, and parts of the earlier structure remain visible in the crypt and in the so-called Cappella Carolingia., At the period of its greatest power the Abbey of Sant'Antimo had authority over 38 churches from Pisa to Grosseto and control of about 1000 mansi, or farm estates, throughout Tuscany, and its most important possession was the castle of Montalcino, which was the residence of the abbot., In the mid-12th century, halted in its expansion northwards by Florence, Siena turned its attention to Montalcino: in 1145 the monks of Sant'Antimo were forced to cede the castle of Radicofani to the Sienese, in 1189 Pope Clement III placed the pieve of Montalcino under the bishop of Siena, Filippo Malavolti the podesta of Siena attacked and partly destroyed Montalcino in 1200, and an agreement of 1212 required the abbey to hand over a quarter of its territories to Siena, including Montalcino., In 1291 Pope Nicholas IV ordered the union of the Abbey of Sant'Antimo with the Guglielmites, a reformed branch of the Benedictines, to restore its strength; after another period of decay in the 15th century Pope Pius II annexed it to the new diocese of Montalcino-Pienza in 1462, whose bishop was his nephew; the abbey decayed to the point that in the 19th century it was used as a stable, and in the 1870s the Italian state restored it., After many years of disuse the Abbey of Sant'Antimo was reoccupied in 1992 by a small community of Premonstratensian Canons Regular, and since January 2016 the occupants have been a community of monks of the Olivetan Benedictine order. (October 2026).
Checked against Abbazia di Sant'Antimo — The abbey's own account traces the foundation of Sant'Antimo by legend to the 9th century and the era of the Holy Roman Empire under the emperor Charlemagne, places the abbey at Localita Castelnuovo dell'Abate in the comune of Montalcino, and records that restoration began in 1870. (October 2026).

Abbey of Sant'Antimo historical timeline

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