Monday, September 22, 2014
The monastery known as St Pius X Benedictine Abbey was formed in 1951 by the Swiss-American Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. This location was begun as a foundation which sprouted from its parent monastery, the Conception Abbey. The latest record of activity I can locate here is dated 1982.
There are two separate buildings here, both of which are in very poor condition. From what I can gather, the first building pictured is the actual Abbey itself and the second building with the huge fireplace is the residence. The Abbey appears to have suffered a fire at some point long ago and has sat exposed to the elements ever since. All of the rooms have been gutted and the walls are smashed through nearly everywhere. The residence hasn't fared much better. All of this sits on an active golf course and the path which the carts take is literally right outside the front doors.
21 Comments:
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June 13, 2015 at 11:42 AM
My parents used to take the family there for retreats and midnight mass on xmas eve. I have lots of memories from there and remember it very well. I wish I could see it in person again. Is it accessible to see or closed off. Its been 45 yeaes since I been there.June 14, 2015 at 9:36 AMIt's not very easy to get to.. unless you play golf. A golf course purchased the land and these buildings are off the beaten path. To get to them the way we did, you have to dodge golfers and the employees that roam around. However, if you play golf, that would be a good excuse to go have a look. "Woops, I hit my ball into the door of that building over there. Better go get it.."February 9, 2016 at 9:30 PMI was a monk there in the mid seventies. It was a beautiful spot.February 25, 2016 at 2:43 PMThank you for posting! Do you have any photos or more information from back then? Wasn't much information out there to go on for this post.April 10, 2016 at 2:43 PMThe second building was a retreat center. Stayed there in the late 60's-early 70's. Remember the fireplace and the seating around it.April 10, 2016 at 2:46 PMThere was also an older building that was in great disrepair on the property back then. It must have been a private residence prior to it becoming an Abbey. We wandered into it and what we saw back then said a wealthy family had lived there. We did not get much past the entry, but what we saw was a beautiful sight.May 2, 2016 at 12:07 PMI was a monk at this monastery as well - from 1971 to 1979. I would very much like to contact you with information from that time. How can I do that?May 2, 2016 at 12:09 PMDanBan, I am very interested in who you are. I was a monk there throughout the 1970's and am interested in contacting others who were there when I was. I look forward to hearing from you.May 2, 2016 at 4:50 PMDanBan, I was a monk there in the 1970's and wonder who you are since you must have been there when I was there. My name was Bro. Stephen.May 2, 2016 at 4:52 PMVince, I was a monk there in the 1970's and vaguely remember your family. Was your mom Joann? My name at the time was Bro. Stephen.May 2, 2016 at 4:55 PMThe older building was probably the "River House" as it was known duringthe time St. Pius X owned the property. Originally it had been owned by the Hammer family from St. Louis I believe. They owned a paint manufacturing company I believe. This estate was called "Glimpse O' Glory" and was a summer home. It was quite an impressive sight in it's time. We had some pictures of parts of the grounds when it was still owned by the Hammer family.May 5, 2016 at 11:35 AMJust an FYI: I have comments set to not post until approved, just in case you were wondering why your comments weren't showing up. It may take a day or more before I see them and approve them, so for the sake of your conversation in regards to this location, I apologize about the delay.August 24, 2016 at 11:01 PMYes mom is joanne. Dad is Joe. Mary ,steve,and Sandy are brother and sisters. To refresh your memory...I was the youngest [vinny] answer I used to chew on the back of the pews...sometimes got in trouble from that. Went on a couple retreat there when I was a kid. Usually went to midnight mass every Christmas. How can I contact you? It would be great to talk more. Vinceferrante@sbcglobal.net please reply. ThanksAugust 24, 2016 at 11:02 PMHi brother stephenomenon. I don't remember you. But yes..my mom is joanne..dad idle joe..then mary,Steve, Sandy and myself [vinny]. I got back on this website again cause I had a dream about it the other night. Saw your reply. To refresh your memory, I was the young kid who left chew marks on the back of the pews....do you remember hearing about that? Is thereally a way to see the buildings in person again..or are they all torn down? Please reply. Vinceferrante@sbcglobal.net...it would be great to talk to you more.February 18, 2018 at 9:30 PMI stumbled across this place today and was so excited to poke around. Thank you for your post, because I would have had no idea as to its history! I wonder why it was abandoned just 20 years after construction...February 15, 2019 at 1:13 PMBlessings all Benedictine supporters, I'm Angela and I'm the new director of the retreat center next to the ruins of St Pius X Abbey. It was called Glimpse of Glory Ministries (1977), then Christina House, and now Vision of Peace Hermitages. Fr. Wilfred is our founder and Sr. Miriam I believe. I would love to get a history together for our retreatants who ask about the ruins next door. I tell people there was a fire or some say it closed because of the monks who had internal conflicts. I'd really like to know the full story of what kind of place this was. Perhaps we could put together a history of sorts...August 21, 2019 at 2:22 PMThank you for posting these eerily beautiful images from a once wonderful place. For many years my family shared music and memories at Pius X. May I add a few recollections? The sandstone colored building was called the retreat house. I remember that there were private rooms along the sides, with the big fireplace providing a gathering place in the center. There was also a gift shop on the main level, run by a nearly blind monk, Br. Isadore. At the bottom of the wide staircase they had an indoor atrium with a softly trickling stream (and as a kid I was interested in the soda vending machine there). It’s impossible to forget how wonderful the River House was: Narrow west-facing entrance door gave way to a beautiful open courtyard topped with a glass ceiling. Climbing the columns were flowering bougainvillea vines, their pink petals gently drifting to the terra cotta floor and tiled fountain. Through the double doors, a large room overlooked the Mississippi via floor to ceiling sash style windows. Climb through an open window, and the wide concrete porch gave way to a grassy hill, a low limestone wall that separated the groomed hill from the natural cliff, and a winding railroad track before the shifting sand bars of the river. In the monastery (the building with the winding staircase), a quiet chapel showed the excellent woodworking skills of one brother (Br. Joe?). Unfortunately, the wood shop burned down in the seventies. Beyond the winding stairs, with the monks’ quarters above, was a small room with an old-fashioned switchboard. I remember picnics outside and Masses and retreats inside, but the resident Benedictine Brothers and Priests brought life and warmth to the Abbey that remains even in its current state. Again, thanks for posting!October 10, 2020 at 4:47 PMYou are right about the River House. I stayed in it briefly when I was considering religious life I think in 1979. The grounds were a little wild but the view from the terrace behind the house was nice and I remember walking down to the River. There was an atrium then that had bougainvillea and lemons around a fountain.sad to see this place in ruins.October 17, 2020 at 12:08 AMGood evening Bro. Stephen. I was one of the boys that lived in the boys home on the grounds back in the 70's. I stumbled upon this site and thought I would reach out. My email is coolccnp@yahoo.com if you want to email me as I would like to ask you some questions. Jim PMay 9, 2021 at 4:21 PMMy brother and myself spent two weeks there in 1962/63 and worked with the Benedictine Monks, Prayed with them and sat in the big house overlooking the Mississippi River it was so peaceful and quiet. All the Monks took the names of Bro Joseph he was a carpenter we prayed about 7 times a day it was very nice. Now 50 years it is a shame to see the condition of the buildings. Just sad.July 20, 2021 at 1:33 AMI loved my brief time at the abbey considering monastic life in 1979. The river house was amazing. I remember a big dinner there in the atrium maybe a fundraiser. I cleaned individual leaves of the many beautiful citrus trees and bougainvillea. I was 19 and I had my first class of champagne at that party! I later became a Lutheran pastor and got a masters in social work. Lovely memories.i left because I had two thoughts of pneumonia that year.
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