Abbey of New Clairvaux
Encyclopedia
The Abbey of New Clairvaux is a rural Trappist
monastery located in Northern California
in the small town of Vina
in Tehama County
. The farmland, once owned by Leland Stanford
, grows prunes, walnut
s, and grape
s which the monks harvest from the orchards and vineyards to sustain the community.
sought to begin a foundation in California. The monks live an austere contemplative life of penance and prayer on behalf of the reparation of sins. Their order is called Cistercians of the Strict Observance.
The setting is extremely quiet and the monastery is completely hidden behind a wall that separates the guest and extern quarters and the monastic enclosure. There is very little interaction between the monks and retreatants; however, guests are welcome to join the monks in the chapel to chant the Divine Office
seven times per day, beginning with Vigils
at 3:30am and ending with Compline
at 7:35pm.
California Governor Jerry Brown
is known to visit the Abbey. In 2009 Brown visited at the monastery before announcing his candidacy for California Governor.
Currently, the community is in the process of reassembling what the monks call their "Sacred Stones," the limestone blocks from the 800-year-old chapter house (meeting room) of the Cistercian monastery of Santa Maria de Ovila
that once stood in Trillo, Guadalajara
, Spain. William Randolph Hearst
purchased and dismantled the chapter house of the old Spanish monastery in 1931 and had the stones shipped to California, intending to include them in Wyntoon
, a grand home he was building in remote Northern California. Instead, Hearst gave the stones to the city of San Francisco as part of an arrangement to abate taxes that he owed. The stones sat in San Francisco's Golden Gate park until 1994 when they were given to the abbey. The chapter house is being reconstructed outside the cloister of the Abbey of New Clairvaux and may be visited by the public any day. In October, 2008, the ancient chapter house's Gothic portal was completed. In 2009, construction on the interior of the chapter house began with Gothic columns rising to their capitals.
TRAPPIST
TRAPPIST is Belgian robotic telescope in Chile which came online in 2010, and is an acronym for TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, so named in homage to Trappist beer produced in the Belgian region. Situated high in the Chilean mountains at La Silla Observatory, it is actually...
monastery located in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
in the small town of Vina
Vina, California
Vina is a census-designated place in Tehama County, California. Vina sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Vina's population was 237....
in Tehama County
Tehama County, California
Tehama County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California. It is bisected by the Sacramento River. As of 2010 its population was 63,463, up from 56,039 as of 2000. The county seat is Red Bluff.-History:...
. The farmland, once owned by Leland Stanford
Leland Stanford
Amasa Leland Stanford was an American tycoon, industrialist, robber baron, politician and founder of Stanford University.-Early years:...
, grows prunes, walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
s, and grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s which the monks harvest from the orchards and vineyards to sustain the community.
History and Daily Life
The Abbey was established in 1955 when monks from the Abbey of GethsemaniAbbey of Gethsemani
The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani is a Trappist monastery near Bardstown, Kentucky in Nelson County—situated on more than 2,000 acres of farmland, and considered to be the "mother house" of all Trappist and Trappistine monasteries in the United States of America...
sought to begin a foundation in California. The monks live an austere contemplative life of penance and prayer on behalf of the reparation of sins. Their order is called Cistercians of the Strict Observance.
The setting is extremely quiet and the monastery is completely hidden behind a wall that separates the guest and extern quarters and the monastic enclosure. There is very little interaction between the monks and retreatants; however, guests are welcome to join the monks in the chapel to chant the Divine Office
Liturgy of the hours
The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings...
seven times per day, beginning with Vigils
Vigils
Vigils is a term for night prayer in ancient Christianity. See Vespers, Compline, Nocturns, Matins, and Lauds for more information. A Vigil is a night spent in prayer....
at 3:30am and ending with Compline
Compline
Compline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St...
at 7:35pm.
California Governor Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
is known to visit the Abbey. In 2009 Brown visited at the monastery before announcing his candidacy for California Governor.
Chapter House
Santa Maria de Ovila
Santa María de Óvila is a former Cistercian monastery built in Spain in the 13th century on the Tagus River near Trillo, Guadalajara; about northeast of Madrid. During prosperous times over the next four centuries, construction projects expanded and improved the monastery...
that once stood in Trillo, Guadalajara
Trillo, Guadalajara
Trillo is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 1,371 inhabitants....
, Spain. William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
purchased and dismantled the chapter house of the old Spanish monastery in 1931 and had the stones shipped to California, intending to include them in Wyntoon
Wyntoon
Wyntoon is the name of a private estate on the McCloud River in rural Siskiyou County, California, owned by the Hearst Corporation. Famous architects Willis Polk, Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan all designed structures for Wyntoon....
, a grand home he was building in remote Northern California. Instead, Hearst gave the stones to the city of San Francisco as part of an arrangement to abate taxes that he owed. The stones sat in San Francisco's Golden Gate park until 1994 when they were given to the abbey. The chapter house is being reconstructed outside the cloister of the Abbey of New Clairvaux and may be visited by the public any day. In October, 2008, the ancient chapter house's Gothic portal was completed. In 2009, construction on the interior of the chapter house began with Gothic columns rising to their capitals.