saint meinrad archabbey

Saw the signs for Saint Meinrad on the way to Santa Claus (where we were staying). Stopped at Saint Meinrad on the way back.A bit of a drive, but well worth it.We did a free, self-guiding tour starting with the church itself. Also did the rock garden and took photos of some of the statues and monuments.Entire place was peaceful, serene and beautiful.Everyone we saw was friendly, even if we were asking a dumb question.

St. Meinrad was extremely beautiful and peaceful. The monks were very gracious to visitors. The beauty within the cathedral and other buildings was amazing. Considering it is one of two archabbeys in the U.S., it is worth a stop.

We started at the gift shop. Beside the gift shop is a coffin display. These are made by hand by the monks. They are all awesome and have great detail and craftsmanship. At the gift shop we picked up some cookies that are also made on-site. Best cookies we have had. When we left the gift shop, we went to the visitor's center and walked around the grounds surrounding the main church building. We look forward to returning and taking the guided tour.

Though I have been aware of the abbey, monastery, seminary, and publishing facility most of my life, I have never taken advantage of the opportunity to visit. Instead, I have always stayed on I-64 and never driven over to the small town where the Catholic community exists. True to what a former leader said at the college I attended, St. Meinrad is nice; just not near anything. On Saturdays the visitor center offers tours of the grounds. Starting in the visitor center, a video can be viewed to give a bit of an introduction. From there visitors go through several of the building including the church, several meeting rooms, and a garden. Along the way one of the brothers leads in the dialogue about the Order of Saint Benedict and all the activity surrounding this institution in Southern Indiana. The historic grounds interspersed with newer structures provides a peaceful backdrop to the monastic life so that one need wonder no more. I came away understanding how our work should be like meditation when doing something worthwhile that contributes positively to society regardless of religious affiliation.

This is a wonderfully serene and beautiful place to visit. Guided tours take place on Saturdays but the grounds and buildings are open during the week, and visits are encouraged. We visited on a beautiful morning and visited the church, the beautiful chapter room, and walked the grounds. This is a school, retreat center, and place for worship. Visitors are welcome during services and we found (as we were trying to find the chapter room after a wrong turn) that the spirit of hospitality and generosity is abundant here. A student walked us to the room - sure hope we didn't make him late to class! There is a large gift shop on the premises as well. It took having out of town visitors for me to plan a visit - shame on me. Truly a spiritual and welcoming place.

I am a graduate from St. Meinrad College and recently returned again for a visit with my family. All the reviewers' comments about serentiy, peacefulness etc. are of course true.My advice though, the real beauty of this spiritual oasis are the monks who live their lives there. Hospitality is a cherished virtues of theirs so everyone is happy to meet you, answer questions, or help you find your way around.Also, the company Abbey Press is based here and has a delightful gift shop, complete with snacks and ice cream.TIP:Join the monks for prayer. Open to everyone, their music and chanting inside the abbey church is as beautiful as the place itself..Note: The pictures, (as of today) on Trip Advisor are not accurate for St. Meinrad Archabbey. The pictures are of a nearby shrine called "Monte Cassino" See: http://www.saintmeinrad.edu/the-monastery/monte-cassino-shrine/For St. Meinrad Archabbey go to: http://www.saintmeinrad.org/

It's off the beaten path but well worth the stop. Beautiful grounds. Wonderful tour guide. Definitely a must-see if you're in the region.

We decided to visit Saint Meinrad Archabbey while visiting family in Kentucky. We aren't Catholic, but the tour was interesting. We enjoyed the architecture and the history there. The area was peaceful and serene.

It was a very serene setting, due to the time change only 5 miles away, we were an hour too early to hear the monks chant/pray. Beware of time difference.

A great day trip, short spur of the moment trip off the Interstate or retreat weekend. Both beautiful and peaceful. Great picnic areas, gift shop and Abbey Press store. The Archabbey is beautiful! Everyone there is very welcoming!

We went to the Archabbey just to see it from the outside, but by chance, we arrived just in time to take a 45-minute tour. The Archabbey is stunningly beautiful, and we thought that the tour was fascinating. Everyone was so kind and helpful. An architectural gem, as well as a peaceful place to spend some time.

The serene setting takes the stress away - a time to walk and sit and think. The Archabbey mid-day prayer service was a much-needed respite of everyday tension. Since I love the grandeur of the architecture of the old churches, cathedrals and other houses of worship, the Archabbey was magnificantly presented and preserved.

This is one of only 2 Archabbey's in the country. Very neat to happen upon this in a small town. We were able to walk around and take photos. On the weekend there is a guided tour, during the week its self-guided. The brochure gave good directions as to where to walk and what we were looking at. It was amazing to see the architecture and paintings inside. The pipe organ was awesome to see. Peaceful place to take a moment out of your day to reflect. You can also watch during prayer services or participate in mass there at certain times. Worth the drive to see this place. Very unique. Monks still live here as well as run several businesses. FREE

My daughter was left for the One Bread One Cup retreat and I spent one night in Benet Hall the night before I had to pick her up to take her back home. Beautiful grounds to have walks (just bring OFF! due to the woods.) It is quiet and refreshing to just have quiet time. The cell reception is not too good so it's the perfect reason to leave your cellphone in your room. The OBOC retreat for teens was an awesome retreat not like the "one size fits all style" retreats but it's more personal. I would highly recommend any retreat at the abbey and stay at the guest house!

We went there to take a picture outside and walk around, when we want to enter the church, the door is locked, so can't see the inside, but the outside environment is quite good. There is a lake as well, but we forgot to walk to that side. There is a tour at 1:30pm each Sat. Also there is self-guided tour. But not sure the details as we didn't notice that at that time, we know it only when we come back and looking at the information leaflet. You can get the tour information from the gift shop or guest house. It also provide accommodation to people, but not sure the price as we didn't live there. Anyway, it's a nice place to take a look and spend some time to walk around and relax.