The Ancient Spanish Monastery, Florida, United States

5Taylor B 5:00 PM Feb 20, 2023

From Segovia to North Miami Beach
St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church is a medieval Spanish monastery cloister which was built in the town of Sacramenia in Segovia, Spain, in during the years 1133-1141, purchased by American newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst and dismantled in 1926, then shipped in 11,000 crates to New York City and eventually reassembled at 16711 West Dixie Highway in North Miami Beach, Florida. But that's only part of the fascinating story. Hearst had planned to rebuild the monastery at his baronial San Simeon estate but financial difficulties prevented him from doing so. Instead, the dismantled structure was stored in a warehouse in Brooklyn until it was purchased in 1952 by Raymond Moss and William Edgemon, who put everything together on the site of a small plant nursery and turned the complex into a tourist attraction known as the Ancient Spanish Monastery. It took 19 months and almost $1.5 million to accomplish the task. Along the way, some of the original stones remained unused but Moss and Edgemon added other decorative pieces from different Spanish buildings, such as the large round carved stone coat of arms seen in the cloister. In 1964, faced with financial difficulties, the Dioceses of Central, Southeast and Southwest Florida, sold the monastery to the Episcopal Diocese of South Florida. Today, it is an Episcopal church. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Three doors from the monastery can be found in a private home in Atlanta, Georgia.

4Jalvaz 5:00 PM Mar 7, 2020

Time Travel in a Day
I recently revisited the Ancient Spanish Monastery and this is truly an amazing place. The engineering involved to transport this from the Spanish Pyrenees village to the states and reassemble it is mind boggling. Most amazing is the serenity one feels visiting this site. The day I was there, it was later in the afternoon and they were preparing for an evening event and there were several event company employees trying to set up, which was distracting with crates and lighting equipment being hauled in. I recommend visiting before 2 pm to avoid the possibility of them preparing for evening events. However, I can see why this would be a spectacular place to hold an impressive event. Take a moment to visit, explore, walk the labyrinth and marvel as the trees on the property. Take your time, don't rush and you will feel your stress dissipate as you stroll the monastery and the grounds.