Freedom Retreats

For many, a religious retreat provides a unique opportunity to commune with God and nature in peaceful solitude - far away from the hustle of secular life. Thousands of these retreats exist in the United States and Europe. The original monasteries and nunneries of Europe stand in remote locations for those very reasons, allowing worship without distraction.

In the United States, the most popular religious retreat remains the Big Sur in California. Los Padres surrounds the area, preventing any urban or suburban spill from tainting the peace of the retreat. The Big Sur began as an artistic retreat, hosting literary luminaries like Henry Miller, and this expanded to religious members. Now it holds its own as one of the largest multicultural centers, containing retreats from virtually ever major world religion.

Another famous religious retreat, Camaldolese Hermit Monastery in Kraków, Poland, remains one of the holiest Catholic sites outside of Italy and Isreal. This functioning monastery accepts only men in its ranks and only allows women to enter its walls 12 days a year, a nod to the antiquated methods of the Catholic church.