The Abbess and community wish you a blessed Holy Week and Triduum.

O Beauty, ever ancient, ever new

St Benedict would almost certainly have known these words of St Augustine, and they continue to raise the heart to God today.

Rooted in the ancient monastic tradition and transplanted to this stunning location, the Stanbrook Community invites you to join us in creating a new setting for our journey together into God’s eternal beauty. In these pages we wish to share something of the wonder of creation in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park and to make available some of the riches our Christian monastic heritage.

Benedictine life

Monastic life is a combination of many different elements and as Benedictines we try to keep these in balance and harmony so that we live in a way that reflects our commitment to Prefer Nothing Whatever to Christ.
We pray that in exploring this new website you will discover more about our way of life and different ways in which you can be supported in your faith and connected with us.

Please be patient as we grow in confidence and proficiency to add new content to the site.

Our shop

We sell a wide range of books and cards for all occasions. Some of the crafts practised by sisters in the community are also on sale, weaving, calligraphy, poetry and photography.
If you can’t find what you are looking for please do ask, we may be able to help!

Rule of St Benedict for the day

Idleness is the enemy of the soul. The brethren, therefore, must be occupied at certain hours in manual labour, and again at other hours in sacred reading. To this end we think that the times for each may be determined in the following manner. From Easter until September the 14th the brethren shall start with the morning and from the first hour until about the fourth hour do what work has to be done. From the fourth hour until about the sixth let them apply themselves to reading. After the sixth hour, having left the table, let them rest on their beds in perfect silence; or if anyone wishes to read by himself, let him read so as not to disturb the others. Let None be said early, at the middle of the eighth hour; and let them again do what work has to be done until Vespers. But if the circumstances of the place or their poverty require them to gather the harvest themselves, let them not be discontented; for then are they truly monks, when they live by the labour of their hands, like our fathers and the apostles. Yet let all things be done in moderation on account of the fainthearted.