Uncovering History: The Remarkable Journey of a Medieval Monastery from Spain to Florida

This architectural marvel, with its storied past was originally built in the 12th century in Segovia Spain.

Construction of the monastery of Saint Bernard de Clairvaux began in 1133 AD in Sacramenia and was completed in 1141.

William Randolph Hearst the newspaper tycoon with a knack for collecting, purchased the monastery’s Cloisters and outbuildings in 1925.   He had them dismantled stone by stone, packed in some 11,000 wooden crates and shipped to the United States.

However due to the Depression and a hoof and mouth disease quarantine, these crates sat in a Brooklyn warehouse for 26 years before they saw the light of day.

A year after Hearst’s death two entrepreneurs with a love for history, purchased the crates in 1952 and chose Miami as the perfect location for a medieval monastery.

After almost two years and $1.5 million, the oldest structure in the entire Western Hemisphere was reassembled into the monastery that stands today.

It’s like wandering onto a film set of a period drama where the stone walls could spill centuries of secrets if they can only talk.

You almost half expect a robed monk to appear and to have horse-drawn carriages nearby.

The architectural details are feast for the eyes and is just minutes from Route 1.

Admission is only $10, and hours vary, but they are closed Monday and Tuesdays