Holy Trinity Monastery

-
In the small community of St. David, AZ and along the highway is the serene place known as the Holy Trinity Monastery.  A massive cross stands near the parking lot and a short distance up the hill is the Meditation Garden.  You get a calming feeling walking around grounds where you will find gardens and a pond with fish swimming about.  The adobe Monastery greets you with a large arbor in front and a beautiful garden and fountain.  Inside the building it is peaceful and simply gorgeous.  To the right of the building is a small cemetery and the Trinity Bird Sanctuary.

On September 3, 1974, after Bishop Francis J. Green put in a request for a Christian renewal center somewhere in Cochise County, the group chose a 92 acres parcel of land in St. David to build the Monastery.  They broke ground on December 12, 1974 and Bishop Green was there for the occasion.  He was there again at the dedication on June 14, 1981.  The Monastery is the center of the grounds, with more gardens and other places constantly being constructed around it even today.

When you walk around the grounds of the Holy Trinity Monastery, you get a sense of peace. You drive up the road a short distance to the bookstore/museum, and park near the building.  Right away you will see a yard with a block fence and a massive cross at the back end.  The metal entrance gate is guarded by two lion statues.

After walking past the cross and up a short hill, you will find the Meditation Garden.  It is also surrounded by a block fence with a simple metal gate at the entrance.  As you walk along the brick path, and over a wood bridge, a calming feeling swoops over you.  In the garden, you will see a pond with fish swimming around, several statues, and enormous trees.  You can cop-a-squat on the benches, but make sure that none of the various species of birds found on the grounds are in the trees above you.














A short distance from the garden is the gorgeous adobe Monastery.  In the front, you will first notice the large arbor with a statue, benches and a cross inside.  When you walk inside the entrance to the fence surrounding the Monastery, you will see the beautiful garden and fountain.  You are allowed to walk inside of the building and get a sense of peace while sitting in the pews.  It is simply stunning inside.

















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

26 Bar Ranch (John Wayne Ranch)

-
Image
Immersed in the Hereford’s history in Eagar, AZ, sits the 26 Bar Ranch.   It was first known as the Milky Way Ranch in the 1940’s with its big white show barn which housed many Hereford cattle.   The barn is now a local landmark.   In 1964 the ranch became the 26 Bar Ranch or John Wayne’s Ranch, who was one of the owners.   Wayne, along with Ken Reafsnyder and Louis Johnson, his business partners, kept the ranch until John Wayne’s death in 1979 from lung and stomach cancer.   Lately, I have heard rumors that Bigfoot has been seen near the ranch.   I don’t know if that is true or not, but it would be worth checking out.  John Wayne and Louis Johnson
Read more

Historic Downtown Payson

-
Image
Located in the northern part of Gila County is the town of Payson, Arizona.  Because of where it is located in the state, it has been christened “The Heart of Arizona”.   Payson was established in 1882 and was first identified as Green Valley.  Two years later in March, a post office was erected with the assistance of Lewis Edwin Payson.  The people showed their gratitude by changing the town’s name to Payson.  Also that same year, the first rodeo was held and deemed the “world’s oldest continuous”.   It is still held in Payson till this day.  In the 1950’s, after many complained about the trip from Phoenix to Payson taking eight to twelve hours, a new paved highway was constructed.  State Route 87 (or the Beeline Highway), made travel quicker and easier for those wanted to get away from the heat of the valley to the gorgeous, serine forests in Payson. Website:   http://paysonrimcountry.com/ GREEN VALLEY PARK THE OXBOW INN FIRST JUSTICE OF THE P
Read more

Cowboy Mummy Found in Desert

-
Image
  There are many strange stories in the Arizona files. One that is told is about the mummy found in the desert near Gila Bend nicknamed “Sylvester”. Many believe that he once was a 19th century cowboy, a con that loved to play cards. Stories are told that he finally got caught cheating and was shot in the stomach. He made a hasty exit while bleeding profusely from his wound. He got as far as Arizona’s Gila Bend desert when he fell off his horse and died face down in the sweltering heat. Shortly afterwards, he was covered by the blowing sands, which appeared to have dried his body overnight. This apparently preserved his body resulting in the mummified form he was found in. The more believable story was that he was found shortly after death and preserved in a high level of arsenic. Arsenic was used to stop the physical occurrences of a corpse rotting by killing bacteria and insects that invaded it. This custom of using arsenic was found to be poisonous by the 1900’s and never used
Read more