The abbey was founded by San Benedetto da Norcia in 529 and over the centuries several times destroyed and rebuilt. The first time in 584 by the Lombards and the last time in 1944 by the allied troops during World War II.
Destroyed and always rebuilt, the abbey was very active and important in the Middle Ages. His archives and libraries, his schools where many ancient texts were transcribed were very important. The reconstruction in the year 1000 and that of the 17th century were the richest and something remained from the beautiful mosaics and paintings.
The mountain from which it takes its name, is located in a strategic position with respect to the obligatory passage between the provinces of Caserta, Frosinone and the Molise region. This was one of the reasons for the repeated destruction of the abbey.
During the last war, German troops had built strong defensive lines and it was very difficult for the Allies to regain that territory that was of vital importance.
The Allied commanders were convinced that the Germans had also hiding inside the abbey and decided that it was essential to destroy it. So in February 1944 the buildings were razed to the ground by a violent bombing that was actually useless. In the abbey, especially citizens who had escaped from the surrounding countries, the monks and only a few Germans had found refuge. The irony of fate is that the abbot was helped by two German officers to save part of the treasures of the convent's archive and library.
Immediately after the war ended, the Italian state ordered and financed the reconstruction of the buildings. The reconstruction lasted almost ten years and today it is again a great spiritual place on top of the mountain. There are various places of memory of this battle nearby. Perhaps the most significant is the Historiale that tells in modern and technological ways the tragic events of that time.