The mother house of the Camaldolese Benedictines in the United States, a hermitage of monks founded in 1958 on 899 acres high above the Big Sur coast and long known for its silent retreats. It is reached by a two-mile private road off Highway 1.
What it needs
Wildfires forced the monks to evacuate in August 2026, and the hermitage is closed through the winter of 2026-27, with no monks in residence and no retreat guests. The property and its systems still have to be maintained, the two-mile access road needs constant costly repair (the hermitage keeps a road maintenance fund), and the monks are at the same time reviewing whether their small, aging California communities are sustainable. The hermitage says most of its monthly needs are met by donations.
Before you act. The prior has not launched a named emergency appeal or published a figure; the urgency lies in the evacuation, the loss of a season of guest income and the open question of the hermitage's future. The prior says the closure is not permanent. An older GoFundMe "Relief Fund" for the road (373,674 dollars raised of 1,000,000) was created in February 2017 and is not a current appeal.
In autumn 2026 the sisters ended their 71-year altar bread distribution, a long-time source of income, because the work had become too heavy for them. At the same time the inverter on their solar array failed and their electricity bills surged. Their Fall 2026 appeal asks for $17,000: $9,000 to replace the inverter and $8,000 for a five-year maintenance contract on the array.
Cement plaster applied in the mid-twentieth century trapped moisture and damaged the decorated facade; conservators are removing it and stabilizing the original plaster in seasonal phases, with later phases to replace lost columns and the balcony. The Spring 2026 newsletter adds that the Convento and Granjon wings need foundation reinforcement, adobe wall rehabilitation, new water and electrical systems, treatment of insect-damaged mesquite beams and hazardous-material abatement. Donations to Patronato San Xavier pay for the conservation team, outside experts and the next stages of work.
