History

Lorenzo established the monastery in the sixth century, but its transformation into a continental powerhouse came under Charlemagne. The emperor visited Farfa mere weeks before his coronation on 25 December 800, and during his reign the abbey underwent massive expansion that fundamentally altered its original structure. By the ninth century, the monastery owned commercial vessels exempt from imperial port duties—a mark of its economic weight.

The monk Gregorio di Catino, writing in the eleventh century, documented this vast patrimony with unprecedented precision. His Regesto of Farfa comprises 1,324 documents; the Largitorium catalogued every concession to tenants; and his Chronicon Farfense provided detailed historical narrative. At 70, he compiled an index to his works—a methodical achievement that would influence medieval record-keeping.

During the investiture struggles, Farfa sided with the Ghibellines, issuing canonical defenses of imperial authority. This pro-German stance persisted through the Ottoman period, even as Cluniac reform reshaped monastic practice. Internal conflict erupted between 1119 and 1125 when rivals Abbot Guido and monk Berard contested leadership. The abbey’s fortunes declined after papal victory over Corradin of Swabia in 1268. In 1547, under Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, Farfa joined the Cassinese Congregation. A century of gradual decay followed until 1920, when monks dispatched by Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster revived the community. In 1928, Farfa was declared a national monument.