Following a private morning audience with Pope Leo XIV at Castel Gandolfo yesterday, participants in the “From Rome to New Rome” Orthodox-Catholic pilgrimage continued their journey at the historic municipality of Grottaferrata, nestled on the Alban Hills outside Rome.
The group visited the Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata, the final remnant of a once-vibrant Italo-Greek monastic tradition. Founded in 1004 by monks originating from the Byzantine outpost of Calabria, the abbey exhibits mosaics and iconography characteristic of its early spiritual heritage. Given the rare blend of Eastern and Western influences that converge here, the abbey has played a symbolic role in promoting Orthodox-Catholic relations, including when, in 1963, only months before his historic meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Pope Paul VI issued an appeal to Christian unity from this very site.
Pilgrims explored the mosaic-and-frescoed chapel and a remarkable library holding over 1,000 ancient texts, including Leonardo da Vinci’s “Codex Atlanticus.” At the monastery, the faithful were also introduced to one of the only remaining iconographic laboratories in Italy. Using all-natural ingredients with deep religious symbolism—such as egg tempera and minerals—the artists preserve sacred techniques passed down through centuries.
After a busy day, the group returned to Rome, where they were welcomed at a reception hosted by His Excellency Fra’ John Dunlap, 81st Grand Master of the Order of Malta. The Order of Malta, officially known as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, is both a lay religious order of the Catholic Church and a sovereign entity in international law, with a longstanding mission of medical, social, and humanitarian work. Held in the lush gardens of the Aventine Hill’s Villa Magistrale, with a picturesque view of St. Peter’s Basilica, the evening provided a serene setting for rest and fellowship.
Photos by Orthodox Observer/Brittainy Newman
Article by Corinna Robinson and Ben Malian
