NPR

Beer-Brewing Monks Are Helping Rebuild Earthquake-Devastated Town In Italy

The Benedictine monks of Norcia are known for their chart-topping album of Gregorian chants — and their beer. They're donating proceeds to rebuilding efforts, and helping the Umbrian town recover.
After a series of big tremors last August, Norcia's small community of Benedictine monks sought shelter on the mountainside high above the town. An earthquake devastated the town, seen here from the mountainside, in October.

Large sections of Norcia's ancient walls lie in rubble. Its many centuries-old buildings are wrapped in steel girders, off-limits to the few people who visit what now looks like a ghost town.

Located near Perugia in Italy's Umbria region, Norcia was the birthplace — in the year 480 — of St. Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism and patron saint of Europe. It was one of several Italian towns devastated last year by a series of earthquakes that claimed some 300 lives.

The town's grandiose 13th century

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