>Does anyone know if this claim is/is not true. In other >words, does anyone on the list know of any monastic ruins >on the continent? Adrian: I guess it depends on what you mean by "ruins." Here in North Dakota we have the archaeological site of St. Gall's, the Benedictine monastery on the shores of Devils Lake. The good monks moved to Richardton and created St. Mary's Abbey, now known as Assumption Abbey, and still occupied. There are sites associated with the Sisters of Charity of Montreal (Grey Nuns) up around Devils Lake, and the Grey Nuns also for a while ran Fort Totten, a former US Army post, later sanitarium, still later Indian school, and now State Historic Site. There are 20+ original buildings at that site, some falling down faster than we can keep them up. Nuns, too, live a monastic life. Of course, there were the Metis sisters at Walhalla, the Order of St. Ursula at Grand Forks, and the Indian sisters of St. Benedict at Elbowoods, all North Dakota founded orders which must have some "site" associated with them. If "ruins" means an archeological site with no features showing above ground, we've got them. We've also got quite spectacular monasteries still in use (Assumption Abbey). If ruins means "...parts of walls sticking up...," then we don't have any - but I'm curious how your Centre is housed in something like that? Chris Dill - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - C. L. Dill, Museum Director State Historical Society of North Dakota 612 East Boulevard Bismarck ND 58505-0830 P: (701)328-2666 F: (701)328-3710 E: [log in to unmask] Visit our Web site at: http://www.state.nd.us/hist/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -