Epilogue: Lighthouse

Monte Cassino stands today as a rich and symbolic lesson in history. The abbey’s manifold experience with destruction and recovery reveals a profound transformation of historical meaning and value, which is manifested in the twenty-first century. This epilogue reflects on the representation of Monte Cassino’s history as the centre of Western culture, learning, and civilisation – a legacy that has repeatedly shaped and propelled its ‘use-value’. This assigned relevance – from the early Middle Ages to the present day – takes much of its meaning from the abbey’s ‘destruction tradition’ – the interplay between ‘destruction’ and ‘recovery’, death and resurrection, adversity and perseverance.