Siloe Monastery, Contemporary monastery in Poggi del Sasso, Italy.
Siloe Monastery is a contemporary monastery in Poggi del Sasso that combines local stone walls with natural wood elements arranged around a central quadrangular layout. The structure spans multiple levels, with a south wing designed to hold spaces for both monastic and community functions.
A small group of Benedictine monks founded the community in 1996, and Bishop Giacomo Babini officially recognised it on 16 December 1997. With no active monasteries in the diocese, they built anew on a hill above the Ombrone valley; the old sheepfold became the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, consecrated on 8 September 2001, when the first stone of the east wing was also laid.
The community lives by the Rule of Saint Benedict without formally belonging to the Benedictine order; the bishop of Grosseto recognised it on 16 December 1997 as a public association of the faithful. The name Siloe comes from the pool in the Gospel of John where Jesus sends the blind man to be healed, echoing the spring on the donated pasture land called Le Piscine. The south wing, completed in 2013, holds the library, a conference hall, group guest quarters and an outdoor agora for meetings.
The monastery sits at Strada San Benedetto 1 and offers guest accommodation in single and double rooms with modern facilities. Visitors should plan ahead, as the location is somewhat remote and requires special consideration for access.
The Chapel of Light, built between May 2003 and April 2004, stands at the edge of the olive grove on the monastery's east slope, apart from the main buildings. Its small scale ties it to the farmland around it. The monastery's name Siloe comes from the pool in John's Gospel where Jesus sends the blind man to be healed, echoing the spring once on this hill.
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