The Ancient Spanish Monastery

The Ancient Spanish Monastery has a long history and one that is slightly unorthodox given that it was built from 1133 to 1144 in Sacramenia, Segovia, Spain. The church was purchased by William Randolph Hearst and crated into 11,000 wooden crates to bring it to the United States. It took until 1964 for Bishop Henry to purchase property in North Miami Beach, Florida where the Ancient church was finally reconstructed.

Visitors to this area of Florida can visit the monastery along with the St. Bernard de Clarivaux Episcopal Church Cloisters. Ticket prices for tours are $8 for adults, $4 for children. There are senior, student, and military discounts available. Weddings and receptions are possible at the Monastery grounds through the Episcopal Church. Onsite is a museum and gift shop. In order to serve guests who may come to see the oldest world heritage site in the US, staff speaks English, Spanish, French, Italian, and German. It is best to call ahead to book a tour reservation if a foreign language is needed since tours may not be set up for all languages available at the museum. The museum provides a comprehensive description of the move of the monastery from Spain to the USA.