New Camaldoli Hermitage (officially called Immaculate Heart Hermitage) is a rural Camaldolese

Camaldolese

The Camaldolese monks and nuns are part of the Benedictine family of monastic communities which follow the way of life outlined in the Rule of St. Benedict, written in the 6th century...

 Benedictine hermitage in the Santa Lucia Mountains

Santa Lucia Mountains

The Santa Lucia Mountains or Santa Lucia Range is a mountain range in coastal California, running from Monterey southeast for 105 miles to San Luis Obispo. The highest summit is Junipero Serra Peak, in Monterey County...

 of Big Sur

Big Sur

Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 that overlooks the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

. The hermitage was founded in 1958 by two hermits from Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 searching for a site that combined solitude and natural beauty. It is located at an altitude of approximately 1,300 feet (400 m), and is approached by a winding two-mile road, which gives the visitor a clear view of the spectacular landscape.

Daily Life

Approximately twenty monks live and work at the hermitage. Each monk lives in a small cottage, called a "cell," which is divided from its neighbors by a high wall, and includes a small garden. Weekday prayers begin with vigils at 5:30 A.M. and conclude with vespers at 6 P.M. Labors include a guest ministry, retreats, a bakery, a book store, cooking and writing.

Fruitcake

The hermitage makes and ships their own fruitcake based on a recipe developed by the monks. The proceeds help to support the hermitage.

Retreats

Retreatants are welcome and over 150,000 people have made retreats at the hermitage. Rooms for men and women are available as well as separate hermitages for longer retreats. Normally all retreats are silent and non-directed.

Location

The rugged and striking beauty of the site is not without peril. Route 1--the famed Pacific Coast Highway, which provides the only access by car--has been closed for months at a time by mudslides, and collapsed entirely in 1998. The hermitage was spared from destruction several times by forest fire; in 1999, the monks were ordered to evacuate as the fire grew closer. El Niño rains, high winds and continuing seismic activity have further damaged buildings. The hermitage is now in the process of rebuilding several older buildings in need of repair.