Monasterio Benedictino Santa María,

Los Toldos Los Toldos (Sometimes referred to as General Viamonte) is a small town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, situated in General Viamonte Partido, which developed around a station of the same name on the Buenos Aires Western Railway. It is locate ...

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, is a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of the Cono-Sur Congregation. Founded by the monks of the Abbey of Einsiedeln in 1948, the monastery was raised to the rank of an

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

in 1980. As of 2000, the monastery was home to 28

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s, under the leadership of Abbot Fr Enrique Contreras.

History

On May 3, 1948, a group of monks from the Abbey of Einsiedeln,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, traveled to Argentina to establish a foundation for the

Swiss Congregation The Swiss Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation is a grouping of Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monasteries in Switzerland or with significant historical Swiss connections. Foundation The congregation was founded, at the urging of t ...

. The monastery, located in Argentina's

, became a conventual (independent) priory on July 31, 1968. The monastery was raised to the status of an

on August 6, 1980. On July 22, 1984, the Abbey of Los Toldos established the monastery of Tupäsy María in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

Misiones Misiones (, ''Missions'') is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes P ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

. Four of the monks of Los Toldos reside at this foundation.

Apostolic work

At Monasterio Benedictino Santa María, the products of agriculture and

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, animal fiber, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising ...

sustain the monks. The monastery is known for producing its own Swiss cheese from a recipe passed on from its founders. The monks also brew

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

and make ''

dulce de leche ''Dulce de leche'' (), caramelized milk, milk candy, or milk jam is a confection commonly consumed after slowly heating sugar and milk over several hours. The substance takes on a spreadable, sauce-like consistency and derives its rich flavour ...

''. The monastery

guesthouse A guest house (or guesthouse, also rest house) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), a guest house is a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the e ...

welcomes around one thousand visitors annually. Here, Bible courses are offered. Additionally, the monks evangelize a nearby population of indigenous Argentinians, and provide pastoral ministry to the parish of El Tejar and its two dependent stations.

Personnel

As of 2000, the community at Los Toldos included 28 monks, 14 of whom were ordained

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

. The monks of Monasterio Benedictino Santa María are under the leadership of Abbot Fr Enrique Contreras, who is assisted in his duties by Prior Meinrado Hux.

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monasterio Benedictino Santa Maria Benedictine monasteries in Latin America Benedictine monasteries in Argentina

History

Apostolic work

Personnel

See also

References

External links