Saint John’s Abbey Monastery

For a community devoted to worship, work, and contemplation, quiet is essential to daily life. At Saint John’s Abbey, an aging monastery needed renewal to support that purpose.

In central Minnesota, among pristine lakes and verdant hardwood forest, Benedictine monks emigrating from Pennsylvania established a self-sustaining community practicing “worship and work.” It grew into one of the largest Benedictine monastic communities in the Western Hemisphere. By the 1950s, the monks had completed a new monastery building that would serve them for over seventy years.

After successfully completing several renovations and new buildings on campus, CSNA was invited to renovate the monastery. Our work began with extensive photographic documentation of existing conditions and close examination of original archival drawings to understand how it had been built. Throughout the project, we worked closely with the monastic building committee and campus design review board to ensure that the renovation reflected their wishes for their home.

Originally designed with spartan simplicity, the monastery was found to be loud. One account stayed with us: a monk pushing a pencil across his desk could be heard by another monk down the hall. It impressed upon us how deeply silence mattered to the community.

Acoustic clouds, suspended sound-absorbing panels, were added to every corridor to reduce the reverberation of footsteps as monks made their way from their rooms to daily prayers in the Abbey Church and meals in the monastic refectory.

Quiet within the monastic rooms required a different response. Reconstructed dividing walls followed recommendations for a high Sound Transmission Class, limiting sound passing between rooms. In a full-scale room mock-up, a radio played on one side of a new wall was difficult to hear on the other, demonstrating the effectiveness of the sound-isolating construction.

The original air-conditioning system had exceeded its useful life, but its replacement needed to provide comfort without intrusive noise. CSNA proposed the mechanical solution, understanding how carefully routing air ducts and water-based heating and cooling pipes would help control sound. We selected a mechanical engineer who understood the approach and would follow our direction in developing the system. Working closely with a lighting specialist, we also developed new hallway lighting.

During construction, the monks lived elsewhere, including in the monastery’s guest house. The monastery itself was unoccupied while the renovation took place.

Social and worship spaces were updated or introduced, and views to the lush forest and shimmering lakes were improved through modern insulating windows.

Original artwork from the monastic collection, and a special edition of the Saint John’s Bible, were incorporated into the renovation.

With renewed interiors, improved light, and stronger connections to forest and lakes, the monastery retained its original spirit. When the monks returned, the quiet of their renovated rooms was a welcome surprise. Their home once again supported the contemplation it was intended to nurture.

Strength in Silence: the Saint John’s Monastery story.