The eight monks live according to the Rule of Saint Benedict, which encapsulates a quiet, solitary life in their neo-Gothic building. Days start early for the Benedictine monks, with a 3:30 AM vigil.

“The monastery has existed for nearly 14 centuries, though with interruptions,” Dom Jean-Charles Nault, abbot of the Abbey of St. Wandrille since 2009, told the Register.

An order of monks that is dedicated fully to this focus is Silverstream Priory, Benedictine Monks of Perpetual Adoration, housed in a converted old Irish manor nestled deep in the fields and ...