Monastic Order Principality Abbey of Seborga

Within the Monegasque Worship Body called “Polish National Catholic Church à Monaco”, duly registered with the Ministry of State of the Principality of Monaco on 14 September 2018, the religious congregation called: “Monastic Order of Seborga” (abbreviated:. O.M.Seb.) was established by a specific resolution of the Assembly of Members.

The Order, organised in the first Chapter with headquarters in Seborga, is divided into three religious congregations

primary order called the Order of Saint Michael
secondary order called the Order of Mary of Magdala
tertiary order called the Order of St. Martin.
The primary order is composed of monks, novices and clerics. The secondary order is composed of nuns and novices The tertiary order is composed of converts who have taken minor vows and lay people. The religious, clerics, monks, nuns, novices and tertiaries, intend to give themselves a special Rule, remembering that they must know and scrupulously observe the commandments given by God, so that, loving the Lord and the Holy Trinity with all their heart, mind, soul and strength, and loving their neighbour as ourselves, they may attain the fruit of eternal life. Religious and lay people have therefore come together to observe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to live in God our Lord. Therefore, since they must always observe this Rule, they will never try to escape from it, because “whoever puts his hand to the plough and turns back is not fit for the Kingdom of God”.

The Monastic Order of Seborga has its legal headquarters in the Principality of Monaco at the Association’s headquarters located at Palais de la Scala 1, Avenue Henry Dunant, and its historical-liturgical abbey headquarters in Italy, in Seborga (IM), at Via Maccario 1, in the heart of the ancient abbey principality.

The reconstitution of this Order, by the will of the Commendatory Abbot, is today in communion with the Italian Orthodox Church, a direct emanation of the Ukrainian Autocephalus Orthodox Church (U.A.O.C.). This epoch-making initiative is aimed at restoring the Ancient Order of Benedictine/Cistercian matrix that was established in Seborga by the Ancient Benedictine Fathers of the Island of Lerino, according to the rule instituted by St. Bernard of Clairvaux and in homage to St. John de Matha, another monk and great spiritual Father, where in the Seborghine countryside the ancient Oratory of San Giovanni all’Asinello was erected in his name. The act of re-establishment is intended to emphasise ecumenical values to the Holy Trinity or the fruitful and spiritually constant dialogue between Catholic and Orthodox Christians for the Unity of all Christians, as stated in the Gospel of St. John: ‘Ut unum sint’ (that they may be one).