New Camaldoli Hermitage - Big Sur, California
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Bernd das Brot Team
N 36° 01.563 W 121° 32.138
10S E 631940 N 3987829
The oldest Camaldolese monastery in the United States.
Waymark Code: WM4VGP
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 10/01/2008
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 19

The New Camaldoli Hermitage at Central California's Pacific coast is one of three Camaldoli monasteries in the United States.

The Camaldolese are part of the Benedictine Family founded by Saint Benedict in the sixth century. The Camaldolese branch was established through the reforming efforts of the eleventh century Italian monk Saint Romuald. His reform sought to revitalize the best of the communal and solitary dimensions of monastic life. Today, Camaldolese monasteries can be found all over Italy and in Poland, France, India, Brazil, and Tanzania.

Camaldolese monks in the hermitage's chapel
(From the hermitage's prayer request website)

The order's history in the United States started in 1958 with the founding of this Hermitage in the Santa Lucia Mountains of Big Sur. In addition to this monastery, the order has two other facilities in the United States; an urban monastery in Berkeley, CA, and a community of women in Windsor, NY.

Though the monks spend most of their time in silence and solitude, they also offer retreats to outsiders and support their guests in their prayers. However, the monastic residence is off limits for visitors and out of respect for the place and its spirit we only took a limited number of pictures from further away.
Thinking of a hermitage, we expected something dark, gloomy, and catacomb-like. Instead, we found ourselves on a sunny mountain top, above the clouds, overlooking
the beautiful Big Sur coast.

Click here for more pictures from above the clouds.

Full name of the abbey/monastery/convent: New Camaldoli Hermitage

Address:
New Camaldoli Hermitage
62475 Coast HWY 1 (Lucia)
Big Sur, CA USA
93920-9656


Religious affiliation: Catholic / Benedictine

Date founded/constructed: 1958

Web Site: [Web Link]

Status of Use: Acitvely Used

Visit Instructions:
Describe your visit, including the date, with as much detail as possible, AND contribute at least ONE PHOTO, original, different from those already in the gallery, if possible.

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