The Ancient Spanish Monastery is the oldest building in the Western Hemisphere, but it came to the US in pieces. It became a big deal to reassemble it at its current location because when the owners opened it - the instructions had been destroyed (more on that history in the video below). Walking the grounds today, it’s hard to believe they were able to put it back together. We had to opportunity to walk the grounds, and what I didn’t find in my research is that a cat colony has made its home on the property. Visitors have the opportunity to donate for their care. While they all seemed friendly, none of them were willing to let me get close enough to pet them. We spent some time speaking with the Executive Director, Dr. Gregory Mansfield about the rich history of the monastery from the architecture to the people who have worked or lived there over the centuries. He shared with us that the monastery received national attention for the way they interpret and tell stories. They make an effort to tell the stories of the men and women who were not always part of the general narrative. With that, you won’t find people dressed in character or performing reenactments, but a strong focus on the stories of the people. While it was a quiet day when we visited, Mansfield told us they see about 130,000 people from all over the world each year.
For more on the history of the Ancient Spanish Monastery, watch this video below:
For more information to plan a visit to the Ancient Spanish Monastery, check out the website here: https://www.spanishmonastery.com/