Belmont Abbey

Belmont Abbey (Mary Help of Christians Abbey) is a monastery of the Benedictine Order located in Belmont near Charlotte, North Carolina. Belmont Abbey is a monastery of about twenty Benedictine monks, founded in 1876. Its members pray and work together according to the teachings of the Gospel and the wisdom of Saint Benedict. The Abbey is situated on a 700-acre campus in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. The monks also are the benefactors of Belmont Abbey College.

Belmont Abbey Church is the most prominent building on the Campus. It was completed in the year 1894. The church is constructed in the gothic-revival style out of brick and granite and built in the shape of a Latin cross. There is a statue of St. Benedict in front of the Church. The towers of the church can be seen from most of the college campus. The Great Tower holds bells which ring to signal the celebration of the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours. The monastic community continues to hold daily services which are open to the student body and the public. In 1998 Pope John Paul II named the Abbey Church a Minor Basilica in recognition of the historical and aesthetical significance of the structure.

The monastery’s Lourdes Grotto was created in 1891. Intended to foster prayers for vocations, it was blessed as a Pilgrimage Shrine.

Here are some photos from our trip to Belmont Abbey. We attended the Holy Mass at the Basilica on a Sunday and it was really beautiful. Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is also in Belmont. You can cover both places in a day.