Know of this very special place, the Royal Monastery of St. Lawrence.
Unique and gorgeous that together under one roof was the royal palace, a very large monastery which is still functioning as well as a school, hospice, etc.
Located just outside Madrid, the capital city of Spain, one can even see Madrid from the upper mountains here.
Under the stars it was an honor to pray outside this sacred place this August while watching the summertime tears of St. Lawrence streaming the sky above and smoking a hecho in Cuba cigar.
Carissimo, but do you know that the religious in charge there are quite modernists?
ReplyDeleteYes, the Augustinian friars (OSA) are very Modernist, liberal, and in the USA have a reputation as radicals. In the USA they have been plagued by sexual abuse by their members upon young boys entrusted to their care in Preparatory Schools.
ReplyDeleteBefore the disaster of Vatican II, there were 470 priests, 61 brothers, 250 Augustinian seminarians, plus an additional 150 in Theology and 100 novices and postulants for the Eastern USA Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, which encompased about 25 parishes, 1 University, 1 college, and 3 Preparatory schools.
Today, after nearly 50 years liberal collapse since Vatican II, there are 180 priests, 10 brothers, 2 seminarians (total), 10 parishes, 1 University, 1 college, and 1 Preparatory school.
El Escorial Monastery was originally founded and funded by King Phillip II (perhaps the greatest of Spanish kings), for the monks of the Order of St. Jerome (Hieronimites). This Order was very numerous during the 14th-17th centuries, but suffered persecution under Napoleon and secularist goverments in Spain and went extinct in the 19th century, only to be resurrected in the 1930's by a new group wishing to restore the Order of St. Jerome. They had about 50 members before the disaster of Vatican II, and have been torn apart by various factions (liberals vs traditionalists) until today they have only 11 members.
Pray for both Orders...neither likely to survive the "Springtime" of Vatican II.
Beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteA model for every royal palace.
ReplyDeleteI visited this in 1996-amazing and overwhelming!
ReplyDeleteThere's a Carmel in this same town. A member of this convent was St. Maria Maravillas of Jesus. A 20th-century St. Teresa of Avila in that she was a Foundress of several Carmels in both Spain and India. She died in 1974, and was canonized in 1998 [I think that was the year].
Barb