Where to Find It
Terra Madre – Morigerati
Epigraph
Ὁ Ἅ(γιος) Νεῖλος
[read: Ho Ájios Nílos]
‘St. Nilus’
Description
The stamp refers to the deep connection Rofrano established with Nilo of Rossano from the time of Roger II’s donation in 1131 until the present day.
The Rofranese monastic community always enjoyed high esteem in Grottaferrata – its prostátis (egumen) figured second, after the archimandrite, in the order of this congregation, as evidenced by a táxis (‘order of honor’) engraved on the balustrade of the abbey church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Grottaferrata -, until its suppression, which occurred shortly after the 1490 concession of the Rofranese fief by King Ferrante of Aragon to Giovanni Carafa, count of Policastro, because of disagreements with the latter. The monks then found refuge in San Pietro di Tumusso di Montesano.
The stylized face meant to depict the A in the abbreviation of Àjios is taken from a manuscript codex from San Nilo and preserved in the Library of the Exarchic Monastery of Grottaferrata (m.s. b.α. 19, f. 1r).
