Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Abbey

Benedictines founded the abbey in 1912 on a point over Lake Memphremagog, and Dom Paul Bellot, a French monk and architect, designed the buildings from 1937 in his distinctive style: patterned brickwork in yellow, pink and grey, and pointed polychrome arches that look almost Moorish. The community sings the offices in Gregorian chant, and visitors attend from the back of the church. The monks make cheese, most famously the blue Ermite, one of the first blue cheeses made in Canada, along with ciders and apple products from their own orchards, sold in the shop. A guesthouse takes retreatants.

What you actually see

• The Dom Bellot architecture - patterned polychrome brick and pointed arches.
• The Gregorian chant - sung offices open to visitors at set hours.
• The Ermite blue cheese - made by the community and sold on site.
• The lake setting - the abbey on a point over Memphremagog.

When to go

Year-round; the sung offices follow a daily timetable, with vespers the usual one for visitors. The shop keeps regular hours and closes for lunch and on some feast days.

Honest expectations

This is a working monastery, and attending the offices means observing worship quietly rather than sightseeing. Much of the building is closed to the public. Silence is expected.

Nearby

Magog lies north; North Hatley is east.