Get Thee to a Nunnery Trivia Quiz

Answer: Monte Cassino

Located about 130 km (81 mi) southeast of Rome, the Abbey of Monte Cassino was first established in 529 AD by St Benedict of Nursia, probably on an old pagan site. The abbey. renowned both as a hospital and a centre of learning, with one of Europe's richest libraries, was destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. It reached its heyday in the 11th century, but the beginning of its slow decline coincided with an earthquake in 1349. Unfortunately, Monte Cassino's strategic position made it a vulnerable target: during the 1944 Italian Campaign of World War II, the abbey was almost completely destroyed by a series of American air raids. It was rebuilt, reproducing the Baroque architecture of the original buildings, between 1948 and 1956. Thankfully, before the battle most of the library's priceless manuscripts (which include one of the earliest examples of what would later become the Italian language) had been sent to the Vatican for safekeeping. The abbey now welcomes visitors from all over the world; a Polish military cemetery is located in the vicinity.

The remaining options are all famous Benedictine abbeys: Vallombrosa is located in Italy, Cluny in France, and Melk in Austria.

Answer: Tuscany

According to some medieval accounts, the Abbey of Sant'Antimo was founded during the reign of Charlemagne, though construction of the present building was started much later, in the early 12th century. The oldest parts of the abbey, the crypt and Cappella Carolingia (Carolingian Chapel), date back from Charlemagne's time. With its outer walls made of alabaster, which give the building its characteristic pale hue and translucent quality, the church is the best-preserved building in the whole complex, which - after a period of splendour in the Middle Ages - gradually fell into a decline, and in the 19th century was for a time used as a stable. Restored by the Italian state, in 1992 Sant'Antimo became once again an active religious community, and is now run by the Olivetan Benedictine order.

The town of Montalcino, to whose commune the abbey belongs, is part of the Siena province in the central Italian region of Tuscany; it is internationally known for its heady red wines, Rosso and the highly prized Brunello.

Answer: Greece

Located in the central Greek region of Thessaly, the astonishing Meteora monasteries are a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed in 1988), and one of the most important religious sites for the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity.

During the Middle Ages (probably from the 11th century onwards), 24 monasteries were built on top of a group of inaccessible sandstone peaks in northwestern Thessaly. Six of them are still functioning, two inhabited by nuns; altogether they house under 60 people. Accessible by bridge from the nearby plateau, the Meteora are now tourist attractions, and open to women as well as men (unlike the Mount Athos complex); in the past, the only way to access the monasteries was by being hauled up with ropes and baskets. The Monastery of the Holy Trinity, shown in the photo, was featured in the 1981 James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only". The inaccessible castle named The Eyrie in the HBO TV series "Game of Thrones" was also inspired by Meteora.

Answer: Beer

Founded in 1132 by a group of Cistercian monks, Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval is located in the southern Belgian province of Luxembourg, in tranquil wooded surroundings. It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt on two occasions, and finally destroyed by French forces in 1793, during the French Revolution.

The religious community was dispersed, and the abbey lay in ruins for almost a century. Towards the end of the 19th century, the lands were acquired by a family who donated them to the Cistercian order, so that a new monastery could be built and monastic life resume.

The modern site, consecrated in 1948, comprises the ruins of the medieval abbey, which are open to visitors. Orval Abbey is famous for its brewery, which produces the renowned Trappist beer named after the monastery, and available in distinctively-shaped glass bottles; the beer is brewed using the water of a local spring.

Answer: Normandy

The fortified Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel in the northwestern French region of Normandy was first established in the 8th century. It flourished in the 11th century after it received the patronage of the Dukes of Normandy, in particular William the Conqueror, which had the mount represented in the Bayeux Tapestry commemorating his conquest of England.

This important sponsorship financed the construction of the abbey, designed by Italian architect Guglielmo da Volpiano in the Romanesque style. The structure of the monastic complex reflects the organization of the feudal society - with God (the church and monastery) on top, stores and housing in the middle, and the dwellings of farmers and fishermen at the bottom. Closed in 1791, during the French Revolution, Mont Saint-Michel was converted into a prison.

After almost a century, the abbey was extensively restored, and the church's towering neo-gothic spire added. In 1979, the abbey (which is again an active place of worship and pilgrimage, as well as a tourist attraction) and its bay were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Answer: Switzerland

According to tradition, Saint Gall was an Irish monk who established a hermitage on the site where the abbey was subsequently built. The abbey was founded in 747, during the reign of Pepin the Short, Charlemagne's father, and dissolved in 1805; the imposing abbey church became the cathedral of the Swiss city of St Gallen (the capital of the canton of the same name) in 1848. The original medieval buildings were mostly demolished in the 18th century, and rebuilt in an elaborate late Baroque style. The monastery was a renowned centre of learning for much of its history, and its magnificent library - characterized by its ornate Rococo architecture - houses a world-class collection of early medieval books. The Abbey of Saint Gall was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.

Two of the remaining countries are also landlocked; Slovenia, however, is not, though its coastline is very small.

Answer: Saint Martin of Tours

Located in northwestern Hungary, on top of a hill near the town of the same name, Pannonhalma Archabbey is one of the country's oldest medieval buildings. The abbey's former name, Márton-hegy (Mount of Saint Martin) referred to the belief that Saint Martin of Tours (who was a native of Pannonia, the Roman province which comprised most of modern-day Hungary) was born at the foot of the hill.

The abbey was established in 996 AD; the oldest surviving document in the Hungarian language (dated 1055) is preserved in its extensive library. Pannonhalma was damaged during the Turkish occupation in the 17th century, and extensively renovated in the Baroque style in the 18th century; the Neoclassical tower was added in 1832.

In 1995 the abbey was thoroughly renovated, and in the following year, when it celebrated its millennium, it was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, together with its natural environment.

Answer: Romania

Located in northeastern Romania, south of the town of Gura Homorului, Voronet Monastery is one of the painted monasteries of the historic region of Bukovina (northern Moldavia) that were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010. The monastery was established around 1488 by Prince Stephen III of Moldavia (Stephen the Great) during a time of war against the Ottomans; Saint Daniel the Hermit was said to have been the monastery's first abbot.

The church of Saint George, Romania's famous church, was mostly built in the Gothic style, with its stunning frescoes (celebrated for their intense blue background) representing various stories from the Bible. Deserted in the late 18th century, Voronet Monastery was repopulated in 1991, and is now a thriving religious community, as well as an important tourist destination.

Answer: Cistercians

Located in western Portugal, not far from another of the country's most significant medieval religious buildings - the Monastery of Batalha - the Monastery of Alcobaça was founded in 1153 by Afonso Henriques, the first Portuguese king, to commemorate his victory over the Moors at Santarém (1147). The king donated a sizable parcel of land to Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the founders of the Cistercian order. The construction of the monastery, begun in 1178, spanned several centuries - which accounts for the intriguing mix of styles found in the complex. Damaged in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and during the Napoleonic wars, the monastery was dissolved in 1834; it is now one of Portugal's main tourist destinations, and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1989.

The Cistercian order, founded in 1098, is named after the French abbey of Cîteaux.

Answer: Bath

Founded in the 7th century, Bath Abbey was rebuilt several times throughout the centuries, and substantially restored in the second half of the 19th century. This magnificent building is one of the most remarkable examples of the Late Perpendicular style, especially noted for the nave's impressive fan vaulting.

The Abbey, dedicated to St Peter and St Paul, was very wealthy, and was raised to cathedral status in 1090, with the Bishop of Bath also acting as prior. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, Bath Abbey was stripped of valuable materials and left to decay - a fate from which it was saved by Queen Elizabeth I, which named it Bath's parish church, and ordered a national fund to be set up to restore the building. Bath Abbey is now an active place of worship, as well as a venue for concerts, lectures and ceremonies, is also famous for its choir.

The City of Bath (located in the English county of Somerset) was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.