Legend has it that the foundation of Sant'Antimo dates back to the 9th century, the time of the Holy Roman Empire, led by Emperor Charlemagne, who is said to have founded a chapel known as the Carolingian Chapel, corresponding to the present sacristy.
The abbey certainly existed in 814, when Emperor Louis the Pious, Charlemagne's successor, issued a diploma enriching it with goods and privileges.
During the communal period, however, the Abbey lost some of its possessions, including the castle of Montalcino, which, for its strategic position, was one of the targets of the expansionist ambitions of the city of Siena in southern Tuscany. By the end of the 13th century, Sant'Antimo's possessions had been decimated and the monastery was in a state of decay. To remedy this, Pope Nicholas IV entrusted the abbey to the Guglielmites, a reformed Benedictine order.
Despite papal intervention, Sant'Antimo lost its former splendour and in 1461 Pope Pius II suppressed the abbey and incorporated it into the new diocese of Montalcino and Pienza. In the 18th century the Abbey was in a state of abandonment: many of the cloister buildings had collapsed and the stones were used to build the village of Castelnuovo dell'Abate.
It was not until 1870 that a long restoration campaign began under the direction of the architect Giuseppe Partini, who gave the church its present appearance.

Entrance and: € 4.00
Reservation fee: € 1,00 per person
Commission fee: € 1.50 per person

Entrance ticket

Everything that is not specifically mentioned in the price is included

Opening hours
April 1st - September 30th: daily 10.00 am - 06.30 pm;
October 1st-31st: daily 10.00 am - 18.00 pm.
Info: Sunday and Holidays, entrance after the holy mass
Closure: December 25th