"An island basilica where a dragon-slaying saint's bones rest beneath the floor and silent nuns inhabit the shores"
Basilica di San Giulio
Orta San Giulio, Piedmont, Italia
On a small island in the center of Lake Orta, a Romanesque basilica holds the relics of the 4th-century Greek evangelist who founded it after — according to legend — sailing to the island on his cloak and driving out its dragons. Today, the rest of the island is occupied by enclosed Benedictine nuns who have taken a vow of silence. A circular path called the Way of Silence rings the island, its meditative plaques in four languages inviting walkers into stillness. To reach any of this, you must cross water.
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Quick Facts
Location
Orta San Giulio, Piedmont, Italia
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
45.7962, 8.3997
Last Updated
Mar 9, 2026
Founded c. 390 AD by Julius of Novara, rebuilt in Romanesque style in the 12th century, and home to an enclosed Benedictine community since 1976.
Origin Story
Julius of Novara, a Greek from the island of Aegina, and his brother Julian dedicated their later lives to evangelizing the lands around Lake Orta. According to tradition, Julius reached the island by sailing on his own cloak — a detail that echoes the miraculous crossings of other saints and suggests that the ordinary laws of passage did not apply to him. On the island, he drove out serpents and dragons, cleared the ground, and built a small church dedicated to the Twelve Apostles. It was, the tradition tells us, the hundredth church of his life — his last.
Key Figures
Julius of Novara (San Giulio)
4th-century Greek evangelist who founded the first church on the island c. 390 AD. His relics rest in the crypt.
Benedictine community of Abbazia Mater Ecclesiae
Enclosed Benedictine nuns who have inhabited the island since 1976, maintaining a rule of silence
Spiritual Lineage
The island traces a lineage from early Christian evangelization through medieval episcopal significance to modern monastic contemplation. The Benedictine community's arrival in 1976 did not break this lineage but extended it — adding a living dimension of silence and prayer to the accumulated weight of architecture and relics.
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