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At Mount Angel Abbey, spiritual reflection and secular attractions coexist harmoniously

by | May 14, 2022 | Discover, Headline Feed, Wellness & Vitality

Monks participate in daily noon prayers at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Mount Angel Library was designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aälto. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland This crown of thorns and nails features thorns that were obtained from Mt. Olivet near Jerusalem. It is one of several items on display at the Abbey Museum, which holds an eclectic collection of items, including several paintings and other religious iconography. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland An angel statue in the main Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Monks participate in daily noon prayers at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds an eclectic collection of items, including several paintings and other religious iconography. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Church at Mount Angel Abbey features a bell tower. The bell rings just before noon and signals noon prayers for the monks in residence. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Stations of the Cross, all fourteen of them, can be viewed on the drive up to Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. The statuary is from Munich, Germany. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Monks participate in daily noon prayers at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland A walled garden in the cloistered section of Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds an eclectic collection of items, including several paintings and other religious iconography. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Behind the Stations of the Cross on the road leading to Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, a small herd of cattle was seen chewing on grass. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The design of the Mount Angel Library highlights the use of natural light. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds a collection of taxidermy that started as part of local school’s biology studies.The collection has expanded and grown over the years. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Monks participate in daily noon prayers at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Mary and Jesus portrayed inside the church at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Christian iconography inside the church was created by Br. Claude Lane, a resident monk at Mount Angel Abbey. Lane, who has “written” much of the iconography at the Abbey, also teaches the art form. Written is the verb favored by and traditionally used from within the practice, as the work is considered a form of scripture, albeit a visual one. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Pilgrims walking through the Stations of the Cross on the road leading to the Abbey will encounter the Grotto of Mary. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland “Mother of the Word,” by Michael O’Brien, featured inside the Abbey’s guesthouse. The Abbey commissioned O’Brien for the work in 1986. At the time, the building was named Benet Hall. It is now the Saint Benedict guesthouse and retreat center. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Monks’ Cemetery at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland A detail of a grave in the Monks’ Cemetery at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Monks participate in daily noon prayers at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland “Mother of the Word,” by Michael O’Brien, featured inside the Abbey’s guesthouse. The Abbey commissioned O’Brien for the work in 1986. At the time, the building was named Benet Hall. It is now the Saint Benedict guesthouse and retreat center. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Church at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, features an elaborate pipe organ. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Church at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, features an elaborate pipe organ. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Church at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, features an elaborate pipe organ. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The old Oblate Cemetery on the corner of the property at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland A detail near the entrance to the Abbey Church at Mount Angel Abbey. Archways are a recurring architectural feature of the church. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds a collection of taxidermy that started as part of local school’s biology studies.The collection has expanded and grown over the years. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland A corner of the Guesthouse at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland A detail of flowers poking out of the stone at the Grotto of Mary. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Tile at the alter inside Abbey Church at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Behind the Stations of the Cross on the road leading to Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, a small herd of cattle was seen chewing on grass. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Monks participate in daily noon prayers at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Stations of the Cross, all fourteen of them, can be viewed on the drive up to Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. The statuary is from Munich, Germany. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Inside the church at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds a collection of taxidermy and other assorted oddities that started as part of the school’s biology studies.The collection has expanded and grown over the years. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds a collection of taxidermy that started as part of local school’s biology studies.The collection has expanded and grown over the years. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds a collection of taxidermy that started as part of local school’s biology studies.The collection has expanded and grown over the years. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds a collection of taxidermy that started as part of the school’s biology studies.The collection has expanded and grown over the years. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds a collection of taxidermy that started as part of local school’s biology studies.The collection has expanded and grown over the years. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds a collection of taxidermy that started as part of local school’s biology studies.The collection has expanded and grown over the years. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland The Abbey Museum at Mount Angel Abbey in Saint Benedict, Oregon, holds a collection of taxidermy that started as part of the school’s biology studies. This includes a couple of examples of malformed animals, including this calf. The collection has expanded and grown over the years. April 29, 2022 Beth Nakamura/Staff Portland

The Mount Angel Abbey rests on top of a hill offering a panoramic view of the verdant mid-Willamette Valley with its pastures, berry fields and hop yards framed by the not-too-distant Cascade Mountains. People visit the abbey’s Benedictine monks in search of reflection, tranquility and a deeper connection with the divine.