The Florense Abbey is located in San Giovanni in Fiore, in the mountains of the Sila National Park.
Founded by Abbot Joachim of Fiore and dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, the first Abbey dates back to the late 1100s in the locality called Iure Vetere, 5 km from today's city. Destroyed by a fire, the Florense Order rebuilt the Abbey in 1215 in the locality "Fiore Nuovo."
The symbol of the flower is significant in Joachimite thought: in nature, the flower is not yet the fruit but the hope of the fruit. The Florense monks were to announce the new age of time that went beyond the fear of death. Fiore, in Florense symbolism, stands for Nazareth, the place of the announcement. Abbot Joachim himself signed his testamentary letter as Abbot of Fiore.
The imposing architecture is Romanesque with a Latin cross, but over the centuries it has undergone modifications. The most significant is the Baroque retouching of the altar, the work of the master wood artist Giovanbattista Altomare, from Rogliano. It contrasts with the rest of the Abbey, with its bare stone walls as indicated by Abbot Joachim, who found richness of spirit in simplicity.
Of the original entrance, only the finely worked limestone portal remains, featuring a hole with an inner ring and a more protruding outer ring in worked stone.
The side nave hosts the permanent exhibition of the "Liber Figurarum" panels, images created by Joachim of Fiore himself to express and explain his theology.
From inside the Abbey, you can access the Demological Museum of the Economy, Work, and Social History of Sila. On the upper floor is the International Study Center of Joachimite Studies, chaired by Giuseppe Riccardo Succurro, which disseminates the works of Abbot Joachim worldwide.
Other places to explore:
- Sanctuary of Saint Francis of Paola - Spezzano della Sila
- Cupone Visitor Center - Sila National Park
- Giants of Fallistro - Sila National Park
