Spanish Monastery

We Went to visit a Spanish Monastery on my Birthday in North Miami. This was part of the Monastery of St. Bernard de Clairvaux built in Spain around 1133. William Randolph Hearst purchased the Cloisters and out buildings in 1925, and had them dismantled and brought to the U.S. The structures were packed in some 11,000 wooden crates, packed in hay and shipped over. There was a hoof and mouth outbreak in Spain about that time, so the Department of Agriculture had the crates broke open upon its arrival and burned all the hay for fear it would carry the disease. It was about this time that Hearst ran into his financial problems, and the unassembled stones sat in New York for over 25 years. It was eventually bought and moved to Miami in the early 60’s. This was a great little place to stroll around and take some nice pictures.