Mepkin Abbey is a community of Roman Catholic monks established in 1949 on the site of the historic Mepkin Plantation located on the Cooper River, north of Charleston, South Carolina. They welcome public visitors to enjoy their gardens and visit and learn about their mission. I did not visit at a time conducive to touring the actual church but such tours are possible.
The entrance is along the Oak Allée.
I liked the steel sign with the negative space letters. The juxtaposition of this modern looking sign with the more sedate traditional setting was interesting.
A gate in the Nancy Bryan Luce Gardens.
This bench looks out on the labyrinth that was cut into a field of four feet high golden grass. The wind whispering through the tall grass was mesmerizing and seemed entirely fitting for the location. A much more open feel than a maze of corn or high green shrubs.
I never tire of Spanish moss draping Southern live oak trees.
Flowers blooming in winter are almost magical to this New Englander.
This wood carving appears to have been carried out in place at the site of a fallen very large and old tree.
One of the ponds in the garden.
I'd like to know the back story on the brickwork within this stump.
Henry R. Luce, the creator of the Time-Life Magazine Empire, and wife Clare Boothe Luce are buried in the memorial garden. A large part of the original Mepkin plantation land owned by Mr. Luce was donated to the monks by him in 1949.
No comments:
Post a Comment