Abbazia Benedettina di San Martino delle Scale

Abbazia Benedettina di San Martino delle Scale rises in the valley behind Palermo, near Monreale, at roughly six hundred metres. Green hills, forests, and evening breezes surround the Benedictine monastery. The present church and monastic buildings took shape in the late sixteenth century, then expanded through later centuries.

An early eighteenth-century novitiate and Venanzio Marvuglia’s architectural work gave the complex a more unified appearance. Inside, a single nave opens onto deep chapels beneath an octagonal dome. Carved wooden choirwork, Giuseppe Salerno’s paintings, and Pietro Novelli’s refectory fresco carry its artistic story. A sculpture by Ignazio Marabitti shows Saint Martin giving his cloak to a poor man.

Beyond the church, a Renaissance portico, library, vegetable garden, and restoration workshops connect monastic life with local culture. The cloisters host music and community gatherings. Hora Benedicta brews award-winning monastic beer in a small laboratory, continuing the monks’ tradition of practical work. The dark beer is called Monastic Beer, while the lighter one is Blonda Ale.