Christ the King Priory, St. Benedict Center
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Address
1126 Road I, Schuyler, Nebraska 68661
Year Completed
1979
Building Type
Architect:
Firm/Partnership
Project Description
The monastery’s design is noted in Patricia Hadley’s article as follows, “The monastery’s design is a Y-shaped structure that seems to be part of the earth around it. Only one part of the structure, the chapel, asserts itself into the landscape. The chapel’s exterior is earth-covered concrete, shaped like a pyramid at the base. Inside, an open construction allows worshippers to extend hearts and thoughts upwards as the warm, wood-covered ceiling slants toward a high skylight. Pews surround the altar in a circular pattern. Services may be directed to one row when few are present, or to several rows when visitors fill the benches. The room is both comfortable and worshipful, due to the combination of natural light and subdued artificial light, which highlights the woods.”1 Mr. Astle also noted about the monastery’s design as follows, “This award-winning earth-covered facility was designed for – and with – a community of Benedictine monks who live in an isolated Nebraska farm region but are engaged in a nationwide funding effort that supports missions throughout the world. To define the program, the architects lived at the monastery and spent many hours with the monks to learn their needs. The spaces defined included a chapel, living quarters, common areas, guest reception and accommodation, exhibition space, office space, and a specialized work area. To the monks, it was important that the structure not only provide for their physical needs but, more important, express their way of life. The motto of the order, ‘Pray and Work,’ capsulized their concerns. At the heart of the complex, the chapel had to stand as a symbol of the monk’s dedication to prayer, their ministry, and the center of worship for the surrounding rural community. The facility had to provide quarters for the guests who are always welcome at the monastery, as well as the brothers who live and work there. After years of working in a basement, the monks looked forward eagerly to a space that would provide openness, views, and a sense of continuity with the natural world. At the same time, they plan for the distant future and they wanted a design that would be energy-efficient over a long period of time. Working with Astle/Ericson and Associates, they obtained a facility that met these complex needs and has been honored with recognition from design professionals and the Inter-Faith Forum on Religion, Art, and Architecture.”2
Mr. Astle also noted about the monastery’s design as follows, “This award-winning earth-covered facility was designed for – and with – a community of Benedictine monks who live in an isolated Nebraska farm region but are engaged in a nationwide funding effort that supports missions throughout the world. To define the program, the architects lived at the monastery and spent many hours with the monks to learn their needs. The spaces defined included a chapel, living quarters, common areas, guest reception and accommodation, exhibition space, office space, and a specialized work area. To the monks, it was important that the structure not only provide for their physical needs but, more important, express their way of life. The motto of the order, ‘Pray and Work,’ capsulized their concerns. At the heart of the complex, the chapel had to stand as a symbol of the monk’s dedication to prayer, their ministry, and the center of worship for the surrounding rural community. The facility had to provide quarters for the guests who are always welcome at the monastery, as well as the brothers who live and work there. After years of working in a basement, the monks looked forward eagerly to a space that would provide openness, views, and a sense of continuity with the natural world. At the same time, they plan for the distant future and they wanted a design that would be energy-efficient over a long period of time. Working with Astle/Ericson and Associates, they obtained a facility that met these complex needs and has been honored with recognition from design professionals and the Inter-Faith Forum on Religion, Art, and Architecture.”2
Sources
1.
2. Patricia Maryon Hadley, “Neil Astle’s Life Patterns,” A Guide to Worthwile Leisure, vol. 17, no. 5 (February 1988): pg. 38. From the Special Collections and Archives Department, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.
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5. Resume book for the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark, “Miscellaneous Utah Projects, 1981,” from The Neil L. Astle Papers, accn 1930, box 90, folder 8, pg. 7. From the Special Collections and Archives Department at the University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
6. Shuyler Monks Facebook page, accessed June 14, 2016, https://www.facebook.com/schuylermonks/photos_stream?ref=page_internal.
7. Christ the King Priory’s website, accessed June 14, 2016, http://www.missionmonks.org/index.php/our-origins.
8. Shuyler Monks Facebook page, accessed June 14, 2016, https://www.facebook.com/schuylermonks/photos_stream?ref=page_internal.
