Aug. 10, 2012
By Jannet Walsh 
iReporter
Murdock, Minn. 

I had the opportunity to visit St. John's Abbey, in Collegeville, Minn., hike the nature trails out to a chapel that can only be reached by foot or canoe, listen to the sounds of the Benedictine monks at their prayer times, but more importantly, relax.

With 2,500 acres, the Abbey is home to lakes, prairie, and a natural arboretum. The abbey is very proud of their famous St. John's Bible, the first completely handwritten and illuminated Bible to have been commissioned since the invention of the printing press.

This special Bible is considered to be our country's version of the Book of Kells, in Dublin, Ireland. I have now seen the St. John’s Bible and the Irish version, both are great, but the Minnesota version is only about an hour drive from my home in Minnesota. You will find the famous Bible housed at Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, and admission is free.

This order of Benedictine monks arrived in Minnesota in 1856 to serve the area settlers, according to information at the St. John’s Abbey Guesthouse, and continues to this day with a college, seminary and much more.

These monks are not making beer, that I know about, but have been making a Bavarian style rye bread, known as Johnny Bread, and helped pay for the abbey.

I stayed at the abbey guest house and was able to meet people from over the country and world, of many faiths and backgrounds. No TV in the rooms, but there is a special room just for TV on the second floor. News junkies can stay connected with Internet connection in your room. The cooking was fantastic, also! 

I also tried to make a time-lapse  of the sky and also in and around the abbey, both in video and still images, to create this video. Audio for the video was recorded with my iPhone of the abbey bells and the organ music during a prayer service at the church.

There is no charge if you are wanting to visit the abbey or go for a hike and see Minnesota like my early Minnesota family did when they arrived about the same time as the monks came to settle in Minnesota.

Read about the history of the famous bread, http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/banner/0202fall.pdf, see page 20.

Learn more at details: http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/

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