Overview
The Hesarchic Monastery of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, more commonly known as the Greek Abbey of St. Nilus, was founded in 1004 by a congregation of Greek monks originally from southern Italy, which was Byzantine at the time. This group was led by St. Nilus of Rossano, a leading figure in the spirituality of the time. Nowadays, the monks, who belong to the Basilian Congregation of Italy, represent the last of the Byzantine monasteries that, in the Middle Ages, were spread throughout the southern region of the country, including the city of Rome. They are thus a unique case, as they have always maintained communion with the Bishop of Rome, while preserving the Byzantine-Greek rite and the Eastern monastic tradition of their origins, since this monastery was established fifty years before the Constantinople Schism.
