Now that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and those who endorse its use have successfully encroached on every phase of our daily life, from banking to buying a fast-food hamburger, it should not be too difficult for you to hear that there is a nearly 900-year- old monastery in North Miami, Florida.
“Wait,” you say, “I learned in fifth grade that a Spanish explorer named Ponce de León discovered Florida in 1513. That was only 512 years ago, how can it be?
In 1953 Time magazine called the Saint Bernard de Clairvaux Monastery the biggest jigsaw puzzle in history.

[The following text (in italics) comes in part from the Fort Lauderdale News, Sunday, January 24, 1954: Page 28.]
On Saturday, January 30, the Saint Bernard de Clairvaux Monastery will open to the public as one of the oldest buildings in North America. It will outdate the founding of Miami (1896) by more than seven-and-a-half centuries.
Saint Bernard Monastery rose in honor of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels in 1141 in Segovia, Spain. How it got here is a story that could only happen in America, spearheaded by a man of atrocious audacity and fabulous wealth: William Randolph Hearst.
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First: the man. De Clairvaux, a native of Burgundy, France, was born in 1090. Little is known of his youth but he became a spiritual leader and theologian, who played a vital role in the reform of monastic life and the endorsement of the Cistercian Order in the early twelfth century. He emphasized the importance of prayer and contemplation. His legacy is celebrated in many churches around the world, since he has been recognized as a Doctor of the Church due to his profound theological contributions.
Next: the monastery. Construction of St. Bernard de Clairvaux was begun in the year 1133 near Segovia in northern Spain. Completed eight years later in 1141, the Monastery was dedicated to the Blessed Mother and was originally named The Monastery of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels. Upon the canonization of Bernard of Clairvaux in 1174, the monastery was renamed in his honor and became the home of Cistercian monks. The church was medieval in spirit and nature. It was an active church for more than seven centuries. After a social revolution in the 1830s, the monastery was seized, sold, and converted into a granary and stable.
Aside. It may have been a mid-life decision, after he had power, influence, and the money to exert his will on nearly everyone, William Randolph Hearst, an American newspaper and media tycoon chose to collect things, it was a “one of everything” obsession. His method to obtain the treasures he wanted for his collection often included the dispatching of scouts (he called them his emissaries) to acquire his “targets” through purchase, but other tactics were employed at times.
Almost at the same time, circa 1925. A rediscovery happened when two of Hearst’s early emissaries who were on assignment in Spain learned of an abandoned monastery in Segovia that was for sale.
A short accounting of what happened next: the “scouts” notified Hearst of the opportunity. Hearst illegally purchased the monastery for an undisclosed sum, despite Spanish government restrictions based on “heritage laws.” Hearst then privately had it dismantled (35,000 pieces), packed into 11,000 carefully numbered wooden crates to facilitate reassembly, and shipped to New York City.
Upon arrival the U.S. Customs agents impounded the shipment due to a hoof-and-mouth epidemic that was raging in Spain. Agents opened the crates and burned the hay used for packaging. (Hay was a known safe haven for the virus that causes the disease.) After the threat decreased, the contents were repacked, without regard to the numbering, and moved to a Brooklyn warehouse where it remained unattended for 26 years.
Hearst was never able to fulfill his dream of moving the monastery to San Simeon (his renowned mansion along the California coastline) due to financial problems. Many of his collections were sold at auction.
Hearst died on August 14, 1951. In an attempt to settle his estate, the executor sold the contents of the warehouse to two Florida millionaire investors who had the crates shipped to North Miami.

The new address for the ancient monastery became 16711 West Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, Florida. The project took just 19 months and cost $20 million. Surprisingly only a few stones were left unused.
Today it is an active church and a very popular tourist attraction.
Imagine how long it would take to disassemble the monastery if Spain demanded its repatriation!
Very interesting article on Hearst. We have been to his home in San Simeon, CA several times but did not know of his purchase of this beautiful church and how the history of it played out; thank you!.