Today we went to the most amazing place.
Mom and the girls and I took an adventure from here
and met my sister and her mother-in-law at
Mepkin Abbey is a community of Roman Catholic monks established in 1949 on the site of the historic Mepkin Plantation located on the Cooper River, north of Charleston, South Carolina. Founded by the monks of Gethsemani in Kentucky, the brothers of Mepkin belong to the worldwide Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance popularly known as Trappist.
Mepkin Abbey is having their 8th annual Creche Festival
and artists from all over have been commissioned
to create unique nativity scenes from various materials.
We took the self guided tour which began along a winding path among lush live oaks and saw
interpretations of Christ's birth in such different forms...
some from carved wood, some ceramics, some made from found and recycled materials,
some from fabrics, some from copper, horn, iron, metal, and more incredible things.
This one was created with cut materials from an old water tank,
some concrete, gold and silver paint,
old door springs for the sheep's curly wool,
and old light bulbs for the sheep's eyes.
This one made from copper with incredible detail...
After seeing several along the outside path, we found ourselves in the monk's library
where the remaining 50+ creches were on display. The girls were fascinated and we were too.
Then we landed in the gift shop where we saw amazing pottery like this...
and found this wonderful nativity created from marbles
which has come home to live with us and remind us of this special place and festival.
Then as we left, we drove through the gardens where they has a couple of chain saw sculptures carved in old trees and the detail was astounding....
If you are ever headed toward Charleston or Monck's Corner, SC between November 15th-28th,
check the Mepkin Abbey schedule for this beautiful Creche Festival.
It's located in the middle of nowhere but it's worth the trip!
If you'd like to see the entire photo set you can click here.
Thanks sweet sis for planning this!
What a wonderful way to prepare for the advent season!
xoxo,
C
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