Since 1261 the Principality of Sabourg has been divided administratively into two priories:
– the Priory of Saint John, at Seborga, formerly called the Priory of La Seborca;
– the Priory of Saint Michael, originally called the Chaplaincy of Saint Michael in Ventimiglia.
The Priory of Saint John, at Seborga, is the seat of the Princely Abbey built in the Castrum Sepulchri, the former monastic castle of Sabourg.
In the sixteenth century the monks of Sabourg turned the castle into an abbatial cloister dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, today the site of Piazza San Martino in Seborga. Sadly that abbatial cloister is no longer at the disposal of the monks of Sabourg: since the birth of the Italian Republic, which deprived the House of Savoy of its right of protectorate over the territories of Sabourg, it has belonged to several owners, namely:
- the Diocese of Ventimiglia-Sanremo, which recovered the church to make it the seat of the parish, and part of the building as the priest's lodging;
- the municipality of Seborga, which used it as its town hall until the 1980s and turned other parts into a cultural centre;
- a number of private individuals, who made it their homes.
The present seat of the Priory is at Via Maccario 1 in Seborga and will shortly move to the new monastery built near the village of Seborga.
His Most Reverend Highness the Prince-Abbot of Sabourg has decided to make this original territory a place of spiritual interaction, where the monotheistic religions can engage with the other religions of the world, in order to raise the spirituality of peoples.
To achieve this, the Sovereign has already travelled to many parts of the world to involve other spiritual leaders in the creation of a theological institution named the Ecumenical Institute of Sabourg.
The aim of this academic institution is to bring together the spiritual knowledge of all the religions of the planet, to find common ground and to work for the progress of humankind, with love and peace.
The Prince-Abbot of Sabourg was supported in this project by the words of Pope Leo XIV during his first appearance, with his message of love, peace and hope for the world.
The project will require spaces dedicated not only to meetings and teaching, but also to giving each religion a permanent meeting place, and to making the Priory of Saint John a point of reference for ecumenical and inter-spiritual interaction.
Discover the projects of the Spiritual Agora of Sabourg
