Sabiona Monastery

The Sabiona Monastery - "Kloster Säben" in German, "Monastero di Sabiona" in Italian - towers up a striking rock spur, known as "Acropolis of Tyrol". The complex lies embedded in vineyards and forest, about 200 metres above the town of Chiusa. This area was already settled in the Neolithic period. Later on, instead of the monastery there was a late Roman settlement. Furthermore, archaeological findings testify that from this place the Christian faith was spread all over South Tyrol. The still existing Church of the Holy Cross, which can be visited today, was seat of the bishopric of Sabiona until around 1000 AD when the seat was transferred to Bressanone.

More than three centuries - from 1687 to 2021 - this monastery was a Benedictine monastery and was first inhabited by the nuns of Nonnberg close to Salzburg. In 1699, the Sabiona Monastery was elevated to a convent and Maria Agnes Zeillerin was elected the first abbess. Until November 2021, when the monastery was permanently closed, nuns lived here according to the rule of St. Benedict of Nursia: "Ora et labora et lege" (Pray and work and read). It is currently managed by the Diocese of Bressanone-Bolzano, the beautiful churches can be visited. On the Sabiona rock spur, the Holy Mountain, there are the Anniversary Fountain as well as four churches: the Chapel of Mercy (Lady Chapel), the Monastery Church, the Church of Our Lady and the Church of the Holy Cross.

In 2024, the Cistercian monks of the Heiligenkreuz Abbey near Vienna have decided after several visits to settle in and live in the Sabiona Monastery, in order to turn it again into a religious site with pastoral service. After having been empty for three years, on the 1st September 2024 the Sabiona Monastery received its first resident, a Cistercian monk who brought the Holy Mountain back to life. And how to reach it? It is only accessible by foot. Starting from the town of Chiusa, you can reach the Sabiona Monastery within a 45-minutes' walk on the Sabiona Promenade, along the Via Cruxis, however, within 30 minutes only. Also the Chestnut Trail, stage 4, leads past the Holy Mountain, whereas in the valley the Valle Isarco Cycle Path snakes its way past Chiusa.