Inlate1943,theallieswerefightingtheirwayupfromsouthernItalytowardsRomewhentheyencounteredfierceresistancearoundMonteCassino.OnecasualtyofthebattleforMonteCassinowastheBenedictinemonastery,builtinthe6thcentury.
On15February1944,USwarplanesdropped50tonnesofbombsonthebuilding,whichcrownedMonteCassino,undertheimpressionthattheGermanswereusingitasanobservationpoint.Infact,theGermancommanderhaddeliberatelykepthistroopsfromthebuildingoutofrespectforitsreligionsandculturalsignificance.Atthetimeoftheattack,theonlyoccupantsweretheabbot＊andsixmonkstogetherwithanunknownnumberofcivilianrefugees,mainlywomenandchildren.Themonasterywasrazedtoitsfoundations.
一九四三年杪，盟軍由南義大利北上，一路征戰，直指羅馬，在卡辛諾山遇到猛烈抵抗。卡辛諾山攻守戰之中，六世紀建築的本篤修道院也遭破壞。
修道院建於山巔，美軍以為德軍佔據了作觀察站，一九四四年二月十五日派出戰機，向這棟建築物投下五十公噸炸彈，殊不知德軍指揮官由於尊重修道院的宗教和文化意義，特別禁止軍隊進入。美軍轟炸時，院內只有住持、六個修道士以及數目不詳的避難平民，其中多數是婦孺。修道院被夷為平地。
＊由abbot（男住持）掌管的修道院叫monastery，女住持（abbess）掌管的則叫nunnery。兩種修道院都可稱為abbey。