The Abbey of San Giorgio di Gratteri

Thanks to the local Municipality of Gratteri, the Abbey was rescued from ruin with some restoration works even if today there is very little left of the original monument. There is in facts no evidence of the ancient monastery but today we can still admire the perimetric walls of the church (which had a basilica plan with three naves and three apses on the eastern side), a beautiful Romanesque portal and some decorative elements. Many reasons brought us to choose to adopt this monument: the beauty of the location, surrounded by woods between the hills and the sea; the years (it dates back to the 12th century) and the uniqueness (it was the only settlement in Sicily of the Premonstratensian friars, reformed Augustinians coming perhaps from Normandy); the artistic value as a significant example of European Romanesque style. We strongly wish to protect and enhance the Abbey as part of the landscape and as an element of our historical-cultural identity.