THE STATE
A Weekly Survey of North Carolina
Eaurtd
лл
innl/Uu Job. I. 1933. at the
ГсЮЯс.
at IUl«l*b. K.rU
Carotioa.
яв4«г
tba Act of Match 3. 1870.
Vol. V. No. 49
Moy 7, 1938
Belmont Abbey
Cathedral
More Ilia ii sixty years liave
passed since the fouiidin;» of the
monastery at Belmont, and flic
groulli of the institution has
been a steady one during that
interval.
«»/
II
Л
1C It Y Z. TLCKKR
ASK tti».v iudividuul who lias trnv-
A\ vclcd extensively ibroughout
# * North Carolina: “What is the
most beautiful building in the state?''
and the answer in the majority of in¬
stances will be “The Belmont Abbev
Cathedral"
And yet, it is surprising how com¬
paratively few North Carolinians
have ever seen this wonderful struc¬
ture.
Belmont
ЛЬ1юу
was founded bv the
Benedict order of the Catholic
Church. This is the English Catholic
Church, whose monasteries have been
the sanctuaries of culture since the
Middle Ages. It is t.o this order that
we are indebted today for the best we
have in classical and religious litera¬
ture.
The life history of St. Benedict
from an humble loginning in Italy,
almost unnoticed by tin* world, is in¬
teresting indeed. From his work have
come forces which have proven mighty
factors for good. St. Benedict, the
founder of the greatest of all monastic
orders, ties! from the distractions of
the world ut an early age and sought
the seclusion of mountain isolation,
where he gave himself to prayer and
meditation. There in the fastness of
the mountains lie prepared himself
for his great mission, and like Moses
of old, soon gathered about him a band
of faithful followers. It was a short
time afterwards that lie was enabled
to lay the foundation of a monastery,
an institution tliut became the wonder
of the world.
Many famous
|нч>р1е
have been no¬
table workers under the ancient order
of St. Benedict. This particular order
is recognized throughout the world as
one which believes in manual labor.
In fact, part of their vow is to teach
the dignity, the necessity of honest toil.
These followers of St. Honed ict have
ever boon alert to the collection, and
preservation of liooks. From a single
copy they were wont to multiply
books with their own hands, and aft¬
erwards they saw tliut these hooks
were placed in the hands of men and
women in order that the world might
become more enlightened.
At Belmont the little band of Bene¬
dictines was so zealous and untiring,
and rendered such signal significance
by the great work which it accom¬
plished, that it soon received special
recognition from the Pope. It must
not be thought that the Benedictines
concentrated themselves to the Caro¬
lines alone. Monks were sent from
Belmont to Virginia, Georgia, and to
The cathedral at Belmont, designated
by many people as the most beau¬
tiful building in North Carolina.
Florida, where they accomplished
much good and established many
churches, schools, and other institu¬
tions, all branches of the different
houses at Belmont Abbey. Their work
also reached into South America,
where they have achieved much good
and have contributed greatly to the
advancement of mankind.
It was in 1ST*» that n little baud of
Benedictine monks from St. Vincent's
Abbey near Lot robe, Pennsylvania,
the first permanent establishment of
the order in the United States, arrived
at Belmont and began the monastery.
Volunteers were asked for.
In response to the plea coining
from Belmont, came LcO (laid and
nine of his brethren. When young
Uaid and his little band of associates
reached Belmont, they found a veri¬
table wilderness. There was only the
old colonial road leading off some¬
where in the Catawba Valley. A nar¬
row and straggling road it was. but it
led through undergrowth to the spot
{Continued on page twenty-six)
