Rosazzo Abbey

The Rosazzo Abbey is an abbey complex located in the territory of the eastern hills of Friuli, in the fraction of Rosazzo in the municipality of Manzano, in the province of Udine.

Of very ancient foundation, it has undergone various hardships over the centuries, while maintaining its overall integrity intact.

Like many other monasteries and abbeys, even here in Rosazzo the monks had to undergo various vicissitudes over the centuries.

The origins of the abbey being uncertain and obscure refer to legend and popular tradition. In the 9th century a hermit named Alemanno settled on the hill, erecting a small oratory which over the following centuries would become a real monastery (monasterium rosarum) entrusted to the Augustinian canons.

In 1070 the annexed church of San Pietro Apostolo was consecrated. Around the year 1090, thanks to the patriarch Ulrich of Eppenstein, the elevation to the rank of the abbey took place and the following year the Benedictine monks from the Millstatt abbey took over from the Augustinians.

Under the Benedictine rule, which remained there for over 300 years, the abbey assumed an increasingly important role by expanding its influence beyond the surrounding area.

Thanks to bequests and donations made by the main feudal lords of the time, it acquired control over properties and privileges that went from Collio to Istria and Tarvisio. The power achieved was such that Pope Innocent IV in 1245 decided to make the abbey autonomous and to place it under direct papal authority. The abbot was granted bishopric and civil privileges, in the latter flanked by a governor who was also responsible for administering justice.

The military defense of the abbey was entrusted to the nearby city of Cividale who fortified it. The expansion phase ended in 1391 when the monastery was entrusted in commendam to the archbishop of Ravenna and later to the Venetians, who in 1420 had invaded all of Friuli. Following this, in 1522, the Benedictine retreat also took place, to which the Dominicans took over. In 1509, among other things, after various events of wars and raids, a fire had completed the work of ruin. Only twenty years later, with the entry of the Dominicans, the rebirth of the abbey complex began thanks to the commendatory abbot Giovanni Matteo Giberti, who availed himself of the help of Venceslao Boiani, an architect from Cividale.

In 1823 the bishop Emanuele Lodi transformed the abbey into the summer residence of the bishops of Udine, while the bishop of Udine was awarded the noble title of Marquis of Rosazzo, a title that will then be recognized in 1927 also by the Kingdom of Italy.

Thanks to Archbishop Alfredo Battisti, the rebirth of Rosazzo takes place: after the 1976 Friuli earthquake, he was interested in having the building included in the works to be restored. Currently, the monastery operates as a cultural center, also hosting conferences, seminars, exhibitions and debates.

Of particular historical and artistic interest is the abbey church dedicated to St. Peter the Apostle, dating back to the 11th century and internally decorated with frescoes from the 16th century.

Today the monastery is home to a cultural center, and conferences and seminars are organized.

Map: Rosazzo Abbey