Belmont Abbey is an American-Cassinese monastery of

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monks A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

and a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

in the town of

Belmont, North Carolina Belmont is a small suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about west of uptown Charlotte and east of Gastonia. The population was 10,076 at the 2010 census. Once known as Garibaldi Station, it was named for th ...

, a suburb of

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. The Abbey Basilica of Mary Help of Christians was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1973.

History

Father Jeremiah O'Connell O.S.B. was a missionary priest who had built St. Mary's College in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the cit ...

, but it had been destroyed during the Civil War. In 1876 he bought the 500-acre former Caldwell farm and donated it to the Benedictines of

Saint Vincent Archabbey Saint Vincent Archabbey is a Benedictine monastery in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the city of Latrobe. A member of the American-Cassinese Congregation, it is the oldest Benedictine monastery in the United States and the largest in th ...

Latrobe, Pennsylvania Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The city population was 8,338 as of the 2010 census (9,265 in 1990). It is located near Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ri ...

in hopes they would establish an educational institution in North Carolina. Under the direction of

Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

Boniface Wimmer Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, (1809–1887) was a German monk who in 1846 founded the first Benedictine monastery in the United States, Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, forty miles southeast of Pittsburgh. In 1855 Wimmer founded ...

of St. Vincent, the Benedictines set about to establish a monastery and college. The monks constructed the buildings from red clay. In 1884, the monastery was designated by the Holy See as ''Mary Help of Christians Abbey'' and Father Leo Michael Haid was elected the first abbot, a position he held until his death in 1924.Martin Sr, James I., "Belmont Abbey College", ''Encyclopedia of North Carolina'', University of North Carolina Press. 2006
/ref> In July 1886, the first three novices professed vows and an alumnus of the college became a novice. That same year, Haid founded a seminary at Belmont. On February 4, 1888, he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina and was consecrated bishop at the Baltimore Cathedral by

Cardinal James Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...

on July 1, 1888, becoming the first American abbot-bishop. In May 1891 the ''Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes'' was dedicated as a pilgrimage shrine by Abbot Haid.

Katharine Drexel Katharine Drexel, SBS (born Catherine Mary Drexel; November 26, 1858 – March 3, 1955) was an American heiress, philanthropist, religious sister, educator, and foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. She was the second person born ...

, a benefactor of the monastery and college, visited Belmont Abbey in 1904.

Territorial abbey

From 1910 through 1977, Belmont Abbey was a territorial abbey, exercising some functions of a diocese. It had responsibility for parishes in the North Carolina counties of Gaston, Catawba, Cleveland, Burke, Lincoln, McDowell, Polk, and Rutherford. In 1944, its territory, except for Gaston County, was given to the

Diocese of Raleigh The Diocese of Raleigh is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that covers the eastern half of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan ...

. In July 1960, Gaston County too was placed under the Diocese of Raleigh. In 1977, its status as a territorial abbey was suppressed under the

Diocese of Charlotte The Diocese of Charlotte (''Dioecesis Carolinana'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the Southern United States. It consists of 46 counties in western North Carolina, divided into ten vicariates ...

Abbey Basilica of Mary Help of Christians

Construction began on the Abbey Church of Mary Help of Christians in 1892 and was completed in 1894. The Abbey Church was dedicated 11 April 11, 1894. The church is a large cruciform plan,

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style brick church. It has a steep gable roof and the front facade features two towers of unequal size. On July 27, 1998, the Vatican issued a decree elevating the abbey church at Belmont to the rank of a

St. Mary's College

Father Herman Wolfe, O.S.B. and two students arrived in April 1876."Belmont Abbey Monastery", Belmont Abbey College
/ref> The first students graduated in 1878. In April 1886 the state of North Carolina issued Saint Mary's College a charter authorizing the abbey/school to grant degrees. Two-thirds of the College Building was destroyed by fire in 1900. Rebuilding began immediately. In 1913 Saint Mary's adopted the Belmont Abbey name. On June 20, 2011, Belmont Abbey College broke ground for a residences for female students with or expecting children—regardless of religious affiliation—that can hold 15 babies, 15 women (who can stay for up to two years), and 8 toddlers at a time, with a shared living room, dining room, and laundry room. The residence, called "Room at the Inn" is operated by a Charlotte, North Carolina-based maternity and aftercare center of the same name. In May 2020, the college announced it was starting a nursing program to address the continuing healthcare needs in Gaston County.Stewart, Gavin. "Belmont Abbey to debut nursing program this fall", ''Gaston Gazette'', May 1, 2020
/ref> On July 14, 1993, the central campus was entered on the National Register of Historic Places as the "Belmont Abbey National Historic District."

Present day

The abbey is the motherhouse to

Saint Leo Abbey Saint Leo Abbey is an American-Cassinese monastery of Benedictine monks located in Saint Leo, Florida, United States. History Saint Leo Abbey, located in Pasco County, Florida, traces its beginnings to 1882 when Judge Edmund F. Dunne founded t ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough ...

, as well as Mary Mother of the Church Abbey in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. The monks also are the benefactors of

Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The school is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. I ...

, a four-year

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

liberal arts school. As of 2020, there are about twenty monks at Belmont Abbey.

References

External links

Official website
{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Gothic Revival architecture in North Carolina Belmont Abbey College Benedictine monasteries in the United States Roman Catholic cathedrals in North Carolina Our Lady Mary Help of Christians Basilica Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte Religious organizations established in 1876 Shrines to the Virgin Mary Buildings and structures in Gaston County, North Carolina 1876 establishments in North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Gaston County, North Carolina Tourist attractions in Gaston County, North Carolina