| In 1004 San Nilo da Rossano, belonging
to the Brazilian Greek monks, escaped from Calabria because of
the Saracens invasions and founded the abbey in a wide piece of
land, that he had received from the count Gregorio I dei Conti
di Tuscolo, who once had been hosted for a long time by San Nilo
in the monastery of Santa Agata, in the Molara valley.
The link between the family dei Conti di Tuscolo and the abbey
became always closer so that in 1037, Benedetto IX, nephew of
Gregorio I, gave to the abbey some properties near Albano and
chose as his counsellor, the abbot Bartolomeo. In the 12th century,
Callisto II (1119-1124) declared that the abbey was subject
only to the Holy See and it was free from the bishop's
jurisdiction, reinforcing in this way its power. The monastery
had an amount of territories extending from Albano till Labicana;
it took part in the struggle between Rome and Tuscolo and in
1613 the monks were obliged to take refuge in Subiaco.
In 1379, during the Western Schism, the monks abandoned again
the abbey, protected by the Caetani Family in Marino. In 1462,
Pius II (1458-1464) interrupted the tradition of the permanent
abbot, and the abbey was given in commendatory to the Cardinal
Bessarione, then to Giulio della Rovere. This cardinal, commissioned
Baccio Pontelli to build a new enclosure wall, decorated with
embattlements and cylindrical large towers on three sides. The
Palace of the Commenda probably was built by Giuliano da San
Gallo or perhaps by Bramante. It is characterized by a portico
with spur stone columns. From 1626 till 1738, the abbey was
controlled by the Barberini. During the Napoleonic period, even
if the monastic order had not been eliminated, the abbey underwent
several spoliations.
At present, at the palace's ground floor there is a museum,
that preserves several archaeological ruins and part of the
church's decorations. The ceiling of one of the rooms
was painted by Francesco da Siena in 1547, as an homage to Fabio
Colonna, with stories of Fabio Massimo “il Temporeggiatore”.
At the main floor there is another room frescoed by an unknown
artist representing the destruction of Tuscolo, when Alessandro
Farnese was the commendatory.
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