Just across the state from me lies a an almost 900-year-old monastery. It wasn’t built on the current site, as only the Native Americans were here at that time. But I had the pleasure of being able to walk where monks walked centuries ago, and it all started with William Randolph Hearst.
In 1925 he acquired the monastery and had it dismantled and shipped to the United States. He then fell into financially hard times and the bricks were sold. They ended up sitting in a warehouse in Brooklyn, NY until they were discovered and sent to an auction. They changed hands once again after that and were finally reassembled in South Florida.
They also have a large museum featuring knights in armor, old weapons, ancient Bibles and hymnals, church art and even a Spanish hearse. One thing about this museum is that I think most guys would find it interesting too.
The place is so beautiful that tourists wearing everyday clothes are free to walk about and take pictures, but if you show up in anything from a maternity dress to a prom dress or wedding gown the fee to take pictures is $395.00. And when we were there, we saw at least two instances where people did pay that and had their professional photographers with them.
The photo on the right is just about half of the museum, and there’s a little alcove in the back where you can buy some gifts. I purchased some jam made by monks in Massachusetts. My mom liked it so much that I bought her an assortment of their jams for Christmas. There are many small religious gifts there too, which I loved.
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| Three of the helmets worn in the Middle Ages. |
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This isn't the bigger church that was originally built on the grounds, but
a smaller chapel that was part of what was brought over from Spain. (Does anyone else
thing this looks oddly like a skull?!) |
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| Candles and Holy Water are available too. I lit a candle in memory of my grandmother. |
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| The monastery not only cares for humans but furry friends as well. |
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The picture on the left shows the added portions of the church from Spain. On the right, hubby and I are in the yellow section. |
While this is an incredible tourist attraction, it if first and foremost a church. They have services there every Sunday and are available in both English and Spanish. Either way, if you are ever in this area, I can't say enough about what a wonderful experience it is to be able to visit here.
And lastly a side note, one of our places to go to eat in the Miami is called La Carreta. It features delicious authentic Cuban food and the vibe is always friendly, casual and pleasantly noisy!
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| We highly recommend the Ropa Vieja! |
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