Mount Alvernia Hermitage

Como Hill on Cat Island rises to about sixty-three metres, which makes it the highest point in the Bahamas, and on top of it John Hawes, Father Jerome, built himself a hermitage: a chapel, a bell tower, a cell and a cloister, all in stone and all scaled down so that a tall man has to stoop. He cut the path and the Stations of the Cross into the rock going up, and he lived there until his death in 1956. He is buried in the hill.

What you actually see

• The miniature buildings - chapel, tower and cell built at reduced scale in stone.
• The Stations of the Cross - carved into the rock along the path up.
• The summit view - the whole of Cat Island and the sea on both sides.
• The grave - Father Jerome's burial place cut into the hill.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the most comfortable for the climb. Early morning avoids the heat on the bare rock. It is open at all times and needs no arrangement.

Honest expectations

The climb is short but steep on rough steps and rock, with no handrail. The buildings are genuinely tiny and cannot accommodate more than a few people at once. There is no shade at the top and no facilities.

Nearby

New Bight is below, and the Cat Island beaches run along the western shore.