Tre Fontane Abbey

Tre Fontane Abbey is a monastic compound in Rome formed by three separate church buildings connected through courtyards and garden areas. The structures display medieval masonry in tufa stone and brick, with plain facades and Romanesque arches that reflect Cistercian building style.

Eastern monks founded a sanctuary here in 601 on the site where tradition holds the Apostle Paul was beheaded. Bernard of Clairvaux handed the compound to the Cistercians in 1140, who developed it into a European center of the order.

The community here raises sheep whose wool becomes pallium cloths, liturgical bands worn over the shoulders by metropolitan archbishops during Mass. This tradition links the monastery to papal ceremony, as the finished garments receive blessing each year on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

The grounds open daily for visitors who can walk through the courtyards and churches, with monastic areas remaining reserved for the monks. Guided tours explain the monastic way of life and also show the brewery where the monks work following traditional methods.

Since 2015 the monks here brew Trappist beer, making the abbey the eleventh officially recognized Trappist brewery worldwide. Production follows strict rules stating that the beer must be made within the monastery walls and under direct supervision of the monks.