Ancient Spanish Monastery

The Ancient Spanish Monastery at 16711 W Dixie Hwy in North Miami Beach is a medieval Cistercian monastery that was moved from Spain to Florida in the 20th century. It was originally built in 1133 as the Monastery of Santa Maria la Real de Sacramenia in the province of Segovia, during the reign of Alfonso VII of Castile and Leon. After centuries of religious use the buildings were secularized in the 19th century and served as farm structures. In 1925 newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst bought the cloister and refectory, had them dismantled stone by stone, and shipped them to the United States in about 11,000 crates packed with hay. An outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease led to the crates being opened and repacked, and the stones ended up stored in a Brooklyn warehouse after Hearst's finances tightened. In the early 1950s two investors purchased the stones and began reassembly in North Miami Beach, which was completed in 1954 and opened to the public. The Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida acquired the property in 1964, and it is now home to the St. Bernard de Clairvaux Episcopal Church, which holds regular services. The architecture is a mix of Romanesque and early Gothic, with rounded arches, stone vaults and a cloister walk around a garden courtyard. The chapter house, cloister and chapel hold carved capitals and medieval stonework, and the gardens are used for weddings and events. Preservation is handled through the congregation and caretakers, who maintain the stone and landscape. Visitors can tour the cloister and grounds, and the site gives a rare chance to see 12th-century European architecture in South Florida, set among tropical plantings that contrast with the weathered Spanish stone and make the monastery one of the more unusual historic attractions in Miami-Dade County. Visitors are advised to confirm current opening hours, admission prices and any guided-tour schedules directly with the venue before traveling, since these details change seasonally and with special events in Miami, Florida.