ephrata cloister

We're sorry you felt that Ephrata Cloister lacked drama. We agree, the followers of Conrad Beissel were a rather quiet group, but that was the whole point. But printing the largest book in the American colonies (1500 pages) before the American Revolution and writing over 1000 hymns and the amazing fraktur drawings are to many historians and scholars pretty amazing accomplishments for such a small group. For me personally, as a Quaker, I find myself often in tune with Beissel's theology, after all both George Fox and Conrad Beissel used the writings of Jacob Boehme to form the backbone of their religions. And because William Penn opened Pennsylvania to all religions is the reason Ephrata was established in Pennsylvania. We do have times throughout the year when the site comes more to life with interpreters/demonstrators in the various buildings and then of course the once a year chance to go upstairs in the Sister's House. Keep an eye on our web site for these special events. We hope you will give us another chance to excite you about Ephrata's history.

This is a well-maintained, old cloister where volunteers run very informative tours. The little museum, shop and rounds are well-run and great to see.

My husband & I wanted to do something special for our 8th anniversary, so we bought tickets for Christmas at the Cloister! What a lovely program it is! We could have listened to the cloister choir a lot longer! The singing, the Bible passages and the reverent atmosphere all added up to a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It probably helped that we didn't have our three children along, so we could actually just sit and listen! Thanks to all who work hard to make the evening possible. It is now right up there at the top of the "good things to do on your December anniversary" list!

Really enjoyed it. The place dated 1800s, 2-3 buildings are still original. Great place for photography. The tour guide (think his name is Nick) is very nice and knowledgeable. If you like historic sites, this is it. Pick the day when it doesn't rain since you have to walk from building to building.

Original buildings and interesting story, film, live tour and narrator. I shouldn't have to give 50 characters, just trying to tell you and others what we did and liked. Hope that's 50 characters or I'm done.

Can't imagine living as they did way back when... The stark lifestyle that was lived here makes us feel selfish and wasteful today. A very interesting experience, very humbling.

The history of this place is both interesting and disturbing. Founded by a man who was exiled from Germany for not following the state religion so he came to Pennsylvania to practice his beliefs. His beliefs seemed to get really strange and a small group of people, the core of which were celibate, thrived for a while in this area. Their brand of Protestantism was harsh (in my opinion) and they eventually died off due to their adherence to a celibate life and the harshness of their daily routine. Many today would call it a cult, I guess. It's a prime example of how religion can be bad for good reasons. The buildings are original, the furnishings are original, no recreations. It is, in many ways, like a prison. But the historian who spoke to us put it in the context of the times, early colonial. Awesome and not in the good sense.

We're so glad you enjoyed visting Ephrata Cloister. I would like to make one clarification - While the founder of this community, Conrad Beissel, was at one time affliated with the Brethren Church, here at Ephrata he developed a separate distinct theology. While this group might consider to be closely aligned with the Brethren, they were in fact a unique religious group who accomplished so much with so few members.

This is a strange place that is definitely worth going out of your way to visit, rather surprisingly. We were the only visitors during the time we were there and were given a tour by a guide in a scary white monk's (or sister's) outfit. She was knowledgeable and was a pleasure to tour with, answering all our questions easily, There is a real sense of place and history about this place- and it is extraordinary that these building survived for so long. There is brooding, almost eerie feel to the place. It is no secret how the community died out,I guess, since the men and women were housed separately and followed rules of chastity! Odd, but interesting,

The Ephrata Cloister is a collection of restored buildings used by a now-extinct religious sect that believed in communal living (according to gender) and celibacy. Some of the building are huge (for their time in history). Their construction and design are very interesting. A fascinating "must see' for history buffs!

We're so glad that you "discovered" Ephrata Cloister! It is truly a unique and special place. We're happy to know that you appreciated that fact and the work of those who lived and worshipped here.

We really enjoyed the 2 hour guided tour. We have learned that you miss so much if you fail to take guided tours. We had around 20 in our group and tour guide kept us together so all could hear. Such a nice setting in the middle of town. Take time to walk thru the cemetery on your own.

Visiting amish country, we noticed on our Michelin guide a mention to this place, as being a faithfull restoration of a disappeared religious group site. And indeed it was: this religious group was founded by a German guy who came to Pennsylvania looking for religious freedom. He created a religious group that, to my opinion, conjugated all known religions to him. It was a "mix" of pure christianism, judaism, protestantism, etc. They had a very rigid/strict way of life, sleeping on bare wooden boards, wearing very plain/simple clothing, eating the bare minimum to survive, everything with the purpose of having more time to praise God and living like he wanted them to.It was a great surprise for us to find a small museum with their everyday life pieces, with a most enlightening film explaining the story of the group from the start to the end, and then, the guided tour to all the remaining/restored buildings was the cherry on top of the cake! Our congratulations to the state of Pennsylvania for the wonderful job made to preserve an otherwise unknown piece of PA's history!

This is a historic place with a very interesting story to tell. The buildings and grounds are beautiful as they take you back in time. I have been visiting here since I was a 5th grader on school trips.

We are so glad you enjoyed exploring Historic Ephrata Cloister.