Cimitero di San Martino delle Scale

Tucked away in the hills near Monreale, lies the Cimitero di San Martino delle Scale. This cemetery isn’t just a place of rest. It’s intimately connected to the Abbey of San Martino delle Scale, a Benedictine monastery with a story as rich as the Sicilian earth. The abbey, established in 1347, casts a long shadow, quite literally, over the Cimitero di San Martino delle Scale. Imagine the monks, over centuries, walking these same hills, perhaps contemplating life and death with the serene valley spread before them. The Cimitero di San Martino delle Scale holds not only the community’s departed, but also echoes of the abbey’s vibrant history. The abbey itself has seen quite a bit. Originally founded, according to tradition, much earlier, it was destroyed by Saracens and then reborn in the 14th century thanks to six monks from the Monastery of San Nicola near Mount Etna. One of these monks, the blessed Angelo Sinisio, became the first abbot of San Martino delle Scale and oversaw the construction of the first monastic buildings. The abbey flourished, accumulating lands and wealth. It even played a significant role in regional affairs. One monk, Giuliano Mayali, acted as an ambassador for King Alfonso to the Bey of Tunis, securing a royal robe and holy relics for the abbey. The Cimitero di San Martino delle Scale silently witnessed the abbey’s transformation through the centuries. From its heyday in the 16th-18th centuries when it became a hub of art and learning, with an impressive library and museum, to its decline in the 19th century following the suppression of monastic orders. The Cimitero di San Martino delle Scale has been a constant throughout. It has seen the abbey nearly abandoned and then slowly revived in the 20th century, continuing its Benedictine traditions to this day. The Cimitero di San Martino delle Scale offers a poignant reflection on the cycle of life and death, intertwined with the enduring spirit of the Abbey of San Martino delle Scale.