You never know what you’ll find hidden along the back roads in the Palmetto State. But one thing you may not expect is to find a Trappist Monk Monastery hidden along the banks of the Cooper River! You may be equally delighted to learn you can visit this magical place! Read on to discover more.
Mepkin Abbey is located in rural Berkeley County and is nestled upon the banks of the meandering Cooper. Its location is approximately four-fifths of the way up the river from the Charleston Harbor to Lake Marion.
Luckily, you don't need a boat to get there; you can enter by way of Mepkin Abbey Road in Moncks Corner. Your scenic drive will take you to the entrance road which is sheltered by a breathtaking canopy of moss-covered live oak trees.
Mepkin Abbey came to be around 1949, when private owners of the property donated it to the Trappist Order's Gethsemani Abbey. Soon after, 29 monks came from the Kentucky Abbey to establish Mepkin.
In case you're not brushed up in Catholicism, the Trappist Monks are a Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monastics who follow the Rule of St. Benedict. If you're wondering if they all live in complete and total silence, then the answer is no.
Here at the Abbey, the Trappist monks have days of total silence and solitude called "Desert Days." On those days, which you'll find listed here, no tours are given of the monastery. However, you can take a self-guided tour at any time, even on Desert Days.
Located in the middle of the gardens there is a labyrinth made for contemplation. The sign at the entrance suggests everything "is solved by walking." Go ahead, give it a try and let us know if it has a profound effect on the problems of the day.
Mepkin Abbey is located at 1098 Mepkin Abbey Rd., Moncks Corner, SC 29461. You can take a self-guided tour of the gardens Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Guided tours ($5 per person) are offered at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, except on any Friday designated a Desert Day.
