Monastery of San Lorenzo (Amandola)

History of the Monastery of San Lorenzo

The origins of the monastery are not clearly documented. In all likelihood it originally stood in the place called Cinque Fonti, inside the town walls of Amandola.

One certain milestone dates back to 1486. In that year the Poor Clare nuns of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Vergini, by then few and poor, joined the Benedictines of San Lorenzo. Around the 17th century, thanks to a donation from a wealthy landowner, the building known today was built.

After the 2016 earthquake the monastery was rebuilt and handed back in 2024. Later the Archbishop of Fermo, Rocco Pennacchio, inaugurated its reopening.

What to see at the Monastery of San Lorenzo

The most significant feature is the chapel, frescoed by the Brazilian monk Father Ruberval Monteiro. The fresco cycle was begun in 2009 and completed in 2016, shortly before the earthquake. The chapel was the only part of the monastery that was not damaged.

The complex includes the Church of San Pietro Apostolo, with a single nave and an area of about 300 square meters spread over several levels. Alongside the nave are the sacristies, the portico, the choir room and the library. The bell tower is on the east side.

How to visit the Monastery of San Lorenzo

The monastery is home to cloistered nuns, so it is not simply a museum. It is worth asking before setting out, using the contacts in the box on this page. The morning Mass is well attended by the faithful of Amandola.

The church of San Pietro Apostolo was badly damaged by the earthquake: its pediment toppled and the belfry partly collapsed. In August 2026 reconstruction and seismic upgrading work began, with funding of more than 1.7 million euros. The church is therefore a construction site.

Where the Monastery of San Lorenzo is located

The monastery is in Amandola, in Le Marche. The town stands on three hills in the upper Tenna valley, and the highest, Castel Leone, reaches about 550 m. The municipality lies about 10 km from the summit of Monte Castel Manardo (1,917 m), in the Sibillini Mountains range.

Near the Monastery of San Lorenzo in Amandola

In Amandola, the church of Sant'Agostino, or Sanctuary of Beato Antonio, dates from the 14th-15th century and has a Gothic portal of Venetian inspiration. The anthropogeographic museum, which before the 2016 earthquake was in the cloister of the church of San Francesco, is now housed in the former Collegiata. The municipal theater "La Fenice" has an elliptical plan and three tiers of boxes.

Just outside town, near the Tenna river, stands the Romanesque Benedictine abbey of Santi Ruffino e Vitale, of medieval origin. Other monastic sites in the area are described on the page on abbeys and monasteries in the Sibillini.