[a] Abbey founded by St. Benedict of Norcia, who died there. It was sacked by Lombards in 589, destroyed by Saracens in 884, and damaged by an earthquake in 1349. The monastery was rebuilt in the early 1500s, and the church was rebuilt and completed by 1727. It suffered more damage at the hands of the French in 1798, but was restored once again by Pope Pius VII. In 1806, it was secularized by Joseph Bonaparte, but nine years later, it was re-established. The abbey was reduced to ruins by Allied bombing in 1944, but has since been completely restored to its appearance after being rebuilt in 1727.
