.gif)
Holy Cross Monastery (West Park, New York)
Encyclopedia
Holy Cross Monastery is located on US 9W
in West Park, New York
, USA. It is the mother house of the Order of the Holy Cross
, an Anglican religious order
inspired by the Benedictine
tradition.
The building, designed in a combination of Mission
/Spanish Revival
and Tudorbethan
styles by architects Ralph Adams Cram
and Henry Vaughan
, both known for their religious buildings, began construction in 1902 and was dedicated two years later. It sits on a 26 acres (10.5 ha) site overlooking the Hudson River
and the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
, just across from it in Hyde Park
. It dominates the view westward from the mansion grounds.
In addition to the motherhouse, facilities include two guesthouses, the Monastic Church of St. Augustine, and the Monastic Enclosure. It is available for individual and group retreats. Madeleine L'Engle
, author of A Wrinkle in Time
, ran one in conjunction with a writers' workshop every January for much of her life. The monk
s also sell incense
, perfume
and operate the Monk's Cell, a book and gift shop on the property. In keeping with the order's devotion to progressive social causes, they have been keeping a peace vigil
on Saturdays during the Iraq War.
It was the first house established in the order by its founder, The Rev. James Otis Sargent Huntington
, 20 years after he founded it, after interim homes in New York City
and Maryland
. He is buried in the church on the grounds. Today it serves as the order's house of formation, where new initiates begin their training. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1995.
U.S. Route 9W
U.S. Route 9W is a north–south U.S. Highway in the states of New Jersey and New York. It begins on Fletcher Avenue in Fort Lee, New Jersey as it crosses the US 1 & 9, US 46, and the Interstate 95 approaches to the George Washington Bridge, where it heads north up the west...
in West Park, New York
West Park, New York
West Park is a hamlet on the west side of the Hudson River in the Town of Esopus, Ulster County, New York, United States.Holy Cross Monastery, an Anglican monastery of the Order of the Holy Cross, is located in West Park....
, USA. It is the mother house of the Order of the Holy Cross
Order of the Holy Cross
The Order of the Holy Cross is an international Anglican monastic Order that follows the Rule of St. Benedict.-History:The Order was founded in 1884 by the Rev. James Otis Sargent Huntington, an Episcopal priest, in New York City. The Order moved to Maryland briefly before settling in West Park,...
, an Anglican religious order
Anglican religious order
Anglican religious orders are communities of laity and/or clergy in the Anglican Communion who live under a common rule of life. The members of religious orders take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and lead a common life of work and prayer...
inspired by the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
tradition.
The building, designed in a combination of Mission
Mission Revival Style architecture
The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
/Spanish Revival
Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was a United States architectural stylistic movement that came about in the early 20th century, starting in California and Florida as a regional expression related to history, environment, and nostalgia...
and Tudorbethan
Tudorbethan architecture
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...
styles by architects Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram FAIA, , was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partnerships in which he worked.-Early life:Cram was born on December 16, 1863 at Hampton Falls, New...
and Henry Vaughan
Henry Vaughan (Architect)
Henry Vaughan , a prolific and talented church architect, came to America to bring the English Gothic style to the American branch of the Anglican Communion . He was an apprentice under George Frederick Bodley and went on to great success popularizing the Gothic Revival style.-Life:Vaughan was...
, both known for their religious buildings, began construction in 1902 and was dedicated two years later. It sits on a 26 acres (10.5 ha) site overlooking the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
and the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, located in Hyde Park, New York, is one of America's premier examples of the country palaces built by wealthy industrialists during the Gilded Age....
, just across from it in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
. It dominates the view westward from the mansion grounds.
In addition to the motherhouse, facilities include two guesthouses, the Monastic Church of St. Augustine, and the Monastic Enclosure. It is available for individual and group retreats. Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle
Madeleine L'Engle was an American writer best known for her young-adult fiction, particularly the Newbery Medal-winning A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time...
, author of A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time is a science fantasy novel by Madeleine L'Engle, first published in 1962. The story revolves around a young girl whose father, a government scientist, has gone missing after working on a mysterious project called a tesseract. The book won a Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award, and...
, ran one in conjunction with a writers' workshop every January for much of her life. The monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s also sell incense
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
, perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
and operate the Monk's Cell, a book and gift shop on the property. In keeping with the order's devotion to progressive social causes, they have been keeping a peace vigil
Vigil
A vigil is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance...
on Saturdays during the Iraq War.
It was the first house established in the order by its founder, The Rev. James Otis Sargent Huntington
James Otis Sargent Huntington
The Rev. James Otis Sargent Huntington, OHC , a priest of the Episcopal Church, was the founder of the Order of the Holy Cross, an Anglican Benedictine monastic order for men whose mother house is now located in West Park, New York....
, 20 years after he founded it, after interim homes in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He is buried in the church on the grounds. Today it serves as the order's house of formation, where new initiates begin their training. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1995.