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Cairns
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Austria
Wien
Belgio
Chimay
Ghent
Grand-Halleux
Habay-La-Vieille
Canada
Toronto ON
Cuba
Havana
Egitto
Cairo
South Sinai Governorate
Francia
Allex
Angoulême
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Corbara
Cotignac
La Crau
Lourdes
Lyon
Moissac
Mulhbach sur Munster
Parigi
Saint-Dolay
Saint-Jean-le-Thomas
Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey
Saugues
Grecia
Kalapaka
Irlanda
Ballina
Israele
Abu Ghosh
Bethlehem
Jerusalem
Italia
Agrigento
Alessano
Biella
Campiglia Cervo
Casalguidi
Castelmonte
Fasano
Firenze
Greccio
Imperia
La Verna
Letojanni
Lucca
Modena
Monterosso al Mare
Perugia
Peschiera del Garda
Rimini
Roma
Ruviano
San Giovanni Rotondo
Santa Maria di Leuca
Savona
Sorrento
Todi
Torino
Trani
Venice
Lituania
Kaunas
Regno Unito
Benburb
Birmingham
Cambridge
Cronk-y-Voddy
Holywell
Londra
Oxford
Pleshey
Poole
Salisbury
Spagna
Barcellona
Cazalla
Estercuel
Lleida
Toledo
Sud Africa
Durban
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CRAFT & CONTEMPLATION: PRODUCTS MADE IN MONASTERIES
Alexander Meddings
Torniamo alle ispirazioni
Picture, for a moment, a medieval monastery.
What probably comes to mind is an image of peace, serenity, and a simple, secluded existence devoted to prayer and contemplation. But in
cenobitic monasticism
, where monks and nuns live as part of a community, monasteries cannot only be places of prayer and contemplation. Since monks and nuns do not wish to beg or become a burden to society, they have had to combine their religious devotion with humble labour, cultivating the land to produce food and drink and crafting products for both communal use and for trade.
From
wine
cultivated in fertile vineyards to
chocolates
, the
monastic products
made by monks and nuns are a testament to centuries of skill and dedication. Not only are these items delightful works of craftsmanship, but they also support the vital upkeep of these cloistered communities. Here are some of these creations from a myriad of monasteries across Europe.
Products Made in Monasteries
Buckfast Abbey’s Famous Tonic Wine
Nestled in the centre of a bucolic valley on the edge of South West England’s Dartmoor National Park, Buckfast Abbey has been home to a community of Roman Catholic Benedictine monks for more than 1,000 years.
For much of the abbey’s history, its monks farmed wool, raising their sheep on the moors, washing their wool in the River Dart, and exporting their final product from the nearby port of Plymouth. But this practice faded following the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the abandoned Buckfast Abbey soon fell into disrepair.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, when anti-clerical laws in France expelled many of the country’s Benedictine monks, many settled in Buckfast, bringing with them their expertise in linaments and medicines. In 1892, the nephew of one of these French monks visited Buckfast Abbey and brought with him a recipe for a certain tonic wine.
Buckfast Tonic Wine
has been a speciality of the abbey ever since. Concocted to provide a nutritious drink for the local community, the wine is infused with caffeine and fortified with additional nutrients. This unique concoction has gained a somewhat infamous reputation over the years, yet it remains a beloved staple among many.
Buckfast Abbey is fully self-sufficient since it is home to a vegetable allotment and a farm where pigs and cattle are reared and bees are kept. Its shop sells wine, honey beeswax, fudge and other items made by religious communities throughout the world.
Book your UK monastery stay
Montecassino Abbey’s Herbal Medicines & Craft Beer
Situated atop a mountain in Southern Central Italy,
Montecassino Abbey
is one of the oldest monasteries in Europe. It was founded in 529 AD by
Saint Benedict of Nursia
and soon became one of Italy’s most prestigious pilgrimage destinations, flourishing throughout the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
Despite such promising beginnings, history has not been kind to Montecassino and its abbey. Montecassino was the site of one of the fiercest
battles
of the Second World War which raged throughout the first four months of 1944 and claimed some 80,000 lives. On February 15, the abbey was completely reduced to rubble when Allied bombers coated the mountain with 1,400 tonnes of explosives. The abbey rebuilt after the war now dominates the region’s skyline, jutting out from the mountain, visible from miles around like the Basilica of Saint Francis in
Assisi
.
Already in antiquity, Montecassino Abbey was renowned for its
herbal medicines
and
craft beer
. Saint Benedict himself took a special interest in brewing
beer
and making honey, emphasising the need for monastic self-sufficiency. Montecassino’s monks have long perfected the ancient art of creating
herbal remedies
from centuries-old recipes and natural ingredients. But the total destruction of the abbey’s brewery made its revival far more difficult.
Despite this,
Birra Montecassino
has revived its practices of brewing beer with the same devotion and eye for detail that earned it its reputation throughout the Middle Ages. Since 2018, the
Montecassino microbrewery
has been applying traditional brewing methods to water from the mountains to produce quality craft beer that is enjoyed across Italy and exported beyond.
Stay in a monastery in Italy
The Artisan Crafts of the Abbaye Notre Dame de la Paix
Straddling the French border in the Belgian province of Hainaut, the medieval city of Chimay has long been famous for its craftsmanship. Since the times of
Jean Froissart
, the city’s illustrious chronicler of the Hundred Year War, the people of Chimay have specialised in the production of
Trappist beers and cheeses
.
But while its churches and Cistercian abbeys are synonymous with beer and cheese, you can find considerable variety in the crafts produced around the town. In the
Abbaye Notre-Dame De La Paix
, in the rural outskirts of Chimay, the sisters and nuns have long been crafting food, clothing and candles from natural products — some of which are sourced locally, others obtained through trade with sister abbeys.
Delicious organic almond cookies are among its specialties, and come in many delicious flavours including cinnamon, chocolate and orange-peel. Their candles are cast by the Cistercian nuns of Klaarland in Limburg while their tea and coffee comes from the Cistercian abbey of Kéréla in India.
M Catherine of Abbaye Notre Dame de la Paix
Soeur Selin-Mary of Abbaye Notre Dame de la Paix
Abbaye Notre-Dame de la Paix, Chimay
You can book a stay in the Abbaye Notre-Dame De La Paix. Its tranquil setting is the perfect base for exploring Chimay, Hainaut and the beautiful Belgian countryside.
Book your stay
Monastero Santo Spirito’s Sweet Sicilian Delights
The ancient city of Agrigento excels at two things: magnificent 5th-century BC monuments, which form the
Valley of the Temples
, and exquisite nut-based sweets which are typical to this part of Sicily.
The monastery
Foresteria Monastica Santo Spirito
is renowned throughout the region for its historic confectionary tradition, which includes almond cookies, pistachio couscous, and dolci misti (assorted sweets). Pistachios and almonds are staples of Sicilian confectionery, with the latter sometimes referred to as ‘Sicily’s green gold’ on account of their unrivalled rich taste.
Foresteria Monastica Santo Spirito, Agrigento
Sicily has always been a cultural and culinary melting pot by virtue of its position at the intersection of the Mediterranean. Since at least the thirteenth century, the nuns of Foresteria Santo Spirito have been crafting delicious pastries and confections that combine traditional Sicilian ingredients with Northern African recipes. One such recipe, sweet couscous, was first introduced by women from Tunisia sometime after the 1300s, and is still a mainstay of
Monastero Santo Spirito’s Sweets
and the region’s rich culinary heritage.
Stay in the Sicilian Monastery of Foresteria Santo Spirito
Monte Pacis’ Sacred Wine
On the stunning Kaunas Lagoon peninsula in central Lithuania,
wine-making
has long been an art form. Since the seventeenth century, the Pažaislis Monastery’s Sisters of Saint Casimir have been producing
wines
that reflect the region’s terroir and their commitment to their craft.
The
Monte Pacis Guesthouse
is situated within the vast complex of Pažaislis Monastery and attracts guests from around the world with its baroque accommodation set amidst sublime natural landscapes. As well as partnering with the Pažaislis sisters, its winery stocks wine from other Lithuanian and European monasteries, and features the best dessert wine list in all the Baltic countries.
Monte Pacis, Kaunas
Staying in the four-star guesthouse offers one of the most memorable monastery accommodation experiences in the Baltic region.
Book your stay in Monte Pacis
Crafting Monastery Products, A Tradition Honed through Time
Monasteries, by their very nature, are centres of self-sufficiency. Those who reside within have historically devoted themselves to humble labour, cultivating the land to produce food and drink and crafting goods both for their own use and for trade. This tradition runs like a thread through the
history of monasticism
right down to antiquity, when monastic communities were often isolated from burgeoning towns and cities, necessitating a self-reliant lifestyle. Over time, these communities developed specialised skills, which they passed down in turn through generations.
Purchasing
monastery-made goods
supports these remarkable communities, ensuring they remain self-sufficient and that their multi-generational skill and craftsmanship survive. So, if you get a chance to savour a piece of Abbaye Notre Dame’s monastic
chocolate
, enjoy the
sweet treats
of Agrigento’s Foresteria Santo Spirito, or sip on a glass of
wine
from Lithuania’s Monte Pacis, remember that you are supporting traditions which span centuries.
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