Monastery of St. Gertrude
The ride of your life isn’t a roller coaster
historic, awe-inspiring:
Idaho County has multiple places and structures listed on The National Register of Historic Places. This is the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation, authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
Monastery of St. Gertrude (listed 1979)
Privately owned, the Monastery of St. Gertrude is located three miles west of Cottonwood on Keuterville Road.
The monastery was founded by three sisters from the Benedictine Monastery in Sarnen, Switzerland. They came to Cottonwood in 1907 and began serving as teachers and nurses.
Dedicated in 1924, the original Romanesque revival style three-story monastery sits on a raised foundation made of blue porphyry rock that was mined from the hill behind the site. The building consists of a basilican chapel with a convent wing attached on the south side. It is the only example of traditional Benedictine architecture in Idaho.
The chapel has two massive 97-foot-high corner towers on its eastern front that have louvered belfry openings that are capped with Bavarian style red-domed roofs. The altar inside the chapel is made of hand-carved oak, crafted in 1928 in Sigmaringen, Germany.
Also on site is the Historical Museum of St. Gertrude, founded by Sister Alfreda Elsensohn, that houses 70,000 artifacts (11,000 on exhibit) reflecting the history of North Central Idaho and the sisters.
go there:
For details, go to http://dogbarkparkinn.com/; stop by 2421 Business Hwy 95, Cottonwood ID 83522; call 208-962-3647.
Don’t forget:
Anything. Stop here for supplies before your remote trip.
