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 Holy Cross Abbey: Berryville, Virginia
The Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Cross is a monastery of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance (Trappists) which was born out of fire. When the monastery of Our Lady of the Valley in Valley Falls, Rhode Island, tragically and spectacularly burned to the ground on the night of March 21, 1950, the monks of the abbey were left without a home. While they labored to re-establish their community at a new site at Spencer, Massachusetts (St Joseph's Abbey), plans were also developed for a new foundation. A site was found in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia on land originally surveyed by George Washington. A fieldstone house built in 1784 as a hunting lodge became the centerpiece of the new monastery.
Products of Holy Cross Abbey include creamed honeys, chocolate truffles and chocolate-covered pieces of fruitcake called "Fraters". The Monastery Bakery, where the monks make their fruitcakes, is the Abbey's chief means of support. Hospitality in the form of retreats and spiritual direction is offered at the Abbey Guest House.
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