Furious nuns have fled a secluded abbey in an extraordinary rebellion after calling in the late Pope Francis in a row over a new abbess who had ordered them to brew prosecco.

Up to 11 nuns are said to have left the Monastery of Saints Gervasio and Protasio in Vittorio Veneto, northern Italy, as the unholy bust up bubbled over.

The battle between wine-making nuns and cloistered traditionalists blew up in the remote Italian nunnery forcing the Vatican to step in.

The row began brewing when church officials appointed modernising Mother Superior Aline Pereira Ghammachi as abbess at the Monastery of Saints Gervasio and Protasio in 2018.

The 13th century abbey was reportedly heading for bankruptcy and Mother Aline, then just 34, introduced a series of money-raising reforms.

Nuns, belonging to the Cistercian order, left the structure following the removal of their abbess: Mother Aline Pereira Ghammachi, undated. The gesture caused a stir in the local community. Note: Image is a screenshot from video. (Newsflash/NX)

One included brewing and bottling prosecco which appalled some old school sisters who wrote to the Pope in protest.

Nuns at the abbey belong to the ancient Cistercian Order which largely shuns contact with the outside world except to carry out good works.

The final straw was when their Brazilian-born abbess was photographed with the local mayor holding a bottle of the brew and hosted a charity dinner.

In 2022, four nuns fled the convent and wrote to Pope Francis, accusing the abbess of violating the principles of cloistered life.

Now it has emerged that Mother Aline was sacked by the Vatican on 31st April, the same day that Pope Francis died.

She told local media: "Two years ago, some of the nuns sent a letter to Pope Francis accusing me of mistreatment.

"Initially the accusations were dropped, thanks to the testimonies of other nuns and other interventions.

"In the meantime, some balances have changed and on Easter Monday I was dismissed."

Mother Aline, 41, added: "The monastery has huge expenses and that is why we had to invent commercial activities to carry on with our work.

"We have a vegetable garden worked by a cooperative that employs disabled people, a greenhouse where we grow aloe to make our soothing creams.

"And for a few years we have also been making honey, all organic, in addition to the vineyard, which gave us a lot of satisfaction.

"In addition, we welcomed lonely people, people in difficulty, women who needed to talk or comfort. Now I think all this will hardly be continued."

The Vatican replaced her with an 81-year-old traditionalist who is expected to scrap the money-making schemes.

But Mother Aline's dismissal only inflamed the bitter split when five nuns loyal to her walked out of the abbey and sought refuge in other nunneries.

One told local media: "The climate that had been established in the monastery had become unbearable, so we decided to leave.

"We left and went to a safe and protected place. Some of us went to the police so as not to create any alarm and so that they would not come looking for us."

Vatican trouble shooters have since installed a pontifical commissioner and advisors to restore order and maintain the calm, cloistered atmosphere of the community.

Now Mother Aline is said to be consulting lawyers over her removal from office.

She confirmed: "We will ask God for help.

"What I say is that now I pray for the truth to come out, for the love of God and the mission that we carry out.

"We had always been a united group, with a single purpose, to help the community and support the monastery.

"The decision came suddenly and so far I have not seen evidence of my shortcomings or faults."

(MJ Leidig/newsX)