The Greek Abbey of Grottaferrata with its community of Basilian monks testifies to the tradition of Byzantine monasticism in Italy. It was founded at the beginning of the 11th century by St Nilus of Rossano in the Alban Hills near Rome and soon built up an important manuscript collection produced by its own scribes who followed the tradition of St Nilus, who had been a skilled calligrapher, as well as of manuscripts acquired by donation or exchange with other monastic centres. The library of the National Monument of Grottaferrata possesses over a thousand Greek, Latin, Ethiopian and Arabic manuscripts, of which the earliest date back to the 10th century, as well as incunables, 16th century editions and other printed books.