Guest quarters of the Abbey of San Pietro di Sorres (Borutta)

✅ San Pietro di Sorres: a haven of tranquillity and history in the heart of Meilogu

Nestled in the hills of Meilogu in the municipality of Borutta (SS), at about 570 metres above sea level, stands the Abbey of San Pietro di Sorres, the only Benedictine abbey on the island and a national monument since 1894 — a place where time, stone and spirituality intertwine, offering an authentic experience of tranquillity and contemplation.

Next to the ancient and unique cathedral of the diocese of Sorres, built in the Pisan Romanesque style and dating back to the 12th century, the monastic community settled here only in the mid-20th century (between 1950 and 1955), on the initiative of the monks of Parma to bring Benedictine monastic life here, following the rhythm of the 'ora et labora' rule, which alternates work and prayer.
Attached to the monastery is a guesthouse, dedicated to hospitality in the Benedictine tradition. Thus, following the instructions of St. Benedict, the monks of Sorres perform this ecclesial service by offering hospitality to those who wish to spend one or more days in the silence of the monastery.

✅ Simple but attentive hospitality

The monastery guesthouse has three floors and offers 23 rooms — single, double and quadruple — one of which is equipped for people with reduced mobility. All rooms have private bathrooms and are equipped with linen, towels and complimentary toiletries. The building has a lift, allowing easy access to all three floors.

On the ground floor there is a dining room/refectory with about 80 seats, available both to overnight guests and to those who wish to stay for the day. The facility is suitable for half-board or full-board stays — or even just lunch, for a break of silence and refreshment.
It is possible to stay in the monastery guesthouse all year round.

✅ A monastic immersion experience, without obligations

Those who choose to stay at Sorres can fully experience the monastic atmosphere: participating in prayer times, coming into contact with Benedictine spirituality, or simply feeling part of the silence, the stone and nature.
In summer, the monastery offers 'study weeks' on biblical and patristic themes, liturgy courses, spiritual retreats and iconography courses: an opportunity for those seeking a deeper inner experience.

In addition to the beauty of the building itself, visitors can explore the cloister , embellished with frescoes by the monk-artist P. Bonifacio Salice depicting the life of St. Benedict of Norcia, and visit the abbey library, which houses around 70,000 volumes, many of which are rare or of great historical value. Of course, it is always possible to visit the interior of the Cathedral of San Pietro di Sorres, a jewel of Pisan Romanesque architecture in Sardinia.

✅ Context, landscape, territory: an authentic corner of Sardinia

The territory in which the Abbey of San Pietro di Sorres is located, and therefore that of Borutta, is the Meilogu, a name that means 'place in the middle' between the north and south of Sardinia, which offers numerous naturalistic testimonies and sites of valuable archaeological value. Already next to the church, not far from the apse, is what remains of a polylobate nuraghe.

On the hill is the 'Sa Rocca Ulari' cave, which is important both from an archaeological point of view, since artefacts referable to the Ozieri culture have been found inside, and from a naturalistic point of view, due to the fact that there is a large colony of bats consisting of five different species inside. 'Sa Rocca Ulari' is part of a SIC (Site of Community Interest) area.

Just 4 kilometres from the site stands the Nuragic palace of Santu Antine, one of the best-preserved nuraghi in Sardinia, and a little further on you will also find the pre-Nuragic necropolis of Sant'Andrea Priu.

Other Romanesque churches are also nearby, such as: the Church of Nostra Signora del Regno in the municipality of Ardara, the Church of the Santissima Trinità di Saccargia in the municipality of Codrongianos, the Church of San Michele Salvenero in the municipality of Ploaghe, the Church of San Leonardo in the municipality of Ittiri and the Church of Santa Maria Contra in the municipality of Cargeghe.

Furthermore, if you stay at the guest quarters of the monastery of San Pietro di Sorres in August, you can attend the historical re-enactment of Sa Bastida di Sorres, which, thanks to the participation of numerous actors, re-enacts the wars between the Doria, Arborensi and Aragonese families in the mid-14th century, right near the Abbey of Sorres.

✅ Venues for events, conferences and professional training

In addition to welcoming pilgrims, travellers and those who wish to enjoy a peaceful stay in the guest quarters, the Abbey of San Pietro di Sorres also offers spaces that are particularly suitable for organising events, training sessions and conferences. In the building adjacent to the monastery is the Chapter House, a large room on the second floor equipped with multimedia facilities and seating for around 100 people. It is an ideal setting for professional development courses, themed workshops, cultural seminars and group activities lasting several days. Thanks to the guest quarters, with rooms and full board, participants can stay overnight within the complex, making it possible to hold residential events, training weekends and intensive courses in a quiet, cosy and inspiring setting.

✅ Shop selling monastery products and bookshop

Inside the monastery, you will also find a shop where you can purchase various items produced by the monastery, from the Sorres monastery itself and other Italian Benedictine monasteries, such as:

• foodstuffs,

• oil,

• beer,

• wine,

• liqueurs,

• herbalist's shop,

• cosmetics,

• sacred art and craftsmanship.

✅ Ample parking spaces complete the monastic hospitality 

Adjacent to the forecourt of the Abbey of San Pietro di Sorres, there is ample parking for both cars and buses.