The history of the Church of St. Bernard de Clairvaux is truly unique. In order to understand, we need to travel back to medieval Spain in 1133-1141 years, where he built our monastery, where 700 years of living the monks of the Cistercian. In the middle of the 1830-ies of Spain covered the First war of the carlists which led to the capture of the monastery. Then the building was sold and turned into practical granary.
Spain sold Florida to the United States in 1819 for 5 million dollars, but only many years later, the monastery moved to the USA.
source: flickr.com/Jorge Elías/CC
William Randolph Hearst liked the old structure, and he came up with the idea that it will look great next to his castle in California. In 1925 he bought the monastery, ordered to dismantle it and send it to US at 11 000 numbered boxes.
source: flickr.com/Jorge Elías/CC
Unfortunately, the stones were transported with the hay which had been infected with foot and mouth disease — an infectious disease threat to cattle, the outbreak which began in Spain. Boxes with the old shipment was quarantined and dealt with, the hay was burned. After all the checks stones randomly piled in the box, thereby spoiling an elaborate system by which you could easily fold the monastery as children’s designer.
source: flickr.com/Jorge Elías/CC
From this beginning, problems Hirst. Soon he was in a difficult financial situation which forced him to sell most of the property. The stones of the Spanish monastery was stored in boxes in a warehouse in Brooklyn until the death of Hearst in 1952.
source: flickr.com/Jorge Elías/CC
Then they bought Mr. V. Edgemon and Mr. R. Mos for $ 1.5 million. They came up with the idea to rebuild the monastery and make it a tourist attraction. After 19 months, they figured out how to lay down blocks of stone, and the Spanish monastery once again appeared in front of people, just in a New Light.
source: (C)spanishmonastery
Now the monastery is open for visits daily from 10:00 to 16:30. Tickets: $10. Before heading out on tour, check the calendar on the website of the monastery, as private events may be closed to the public. Spanish monastery can be found at 16711 West Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, Florida.
