Oregon's Free-To-Visit Architectural Masterpiece Is A Famous, Striking Library Hidden In A Monastery

If you're visiting Portland, Oregon, you may be hitting downtown for the new swim beaches (or enjoying other outdoor adventures). You can go hiking, check out the beautiful scenery, or pay a visit to the eccentric and historic gem of a neighborhood, Goose Hollow. With so much to do and see, Portland is a fantastic destination. However, if you need a little time for quiet contemplation, there is a free-to-visit architectural masterpiece south of the city that you need to check out. 

In St. Benedict, Oregon, you'll find the Mount Angel Abbey, which has a library that will take your breath away. Mount Angel Library may look unassuming from the outside, but inside, it's full of glowing light, graceful curves, and a collection of around 225,000 books. They include rare items like illuminated manuscripts (that they're working to digitize), a collection of works on the American Civil War, and rare books from the 14th through 20th centuries. 

Mount Angel Abbey is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1882 by monks from Switzerland. However, a fire destroyed their library in 1926, and in 1966, Fr. Barnabas Reasoner, O.S.B. wrote to famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto inquiring about the possibility of designing a new library; he spoke about the beauty of the land they were on and his goal of keeping it beautiful. Aalto agreed, leading Father Barnabas to speak to Tektronix co-founders Howard and Jean Vollum, who donated money for the project. When the library was dedicated and opened in 1970, famous musician Duke Ellington played at the occasion. 

If you're planning on visiting the Mount Angel Library, it's a bit under 50 miles from the Portland International Airport, itself an attraction for architecture lovers. You can visit the library Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. One reviewer on TripAdvisor said of the library, "This is a wonderful place to spend a quiet afternoon. Great views (when the weather allows), wonderful church, super little museum and one of the best libraries in the state." 

The library largely covers the humanities and theology, and has three stories and a mezzanine. It's full of incredible natural light, and features a reading room, a music-listening and group study room, and study tables. Whether you're reading the books or not, the architecture (it's one of the only two Alvar Aalto-designed buildings in the United States) and the Aalto-designed furniture alone are worth the visit. 

While you're there, you can do walking tours, visit the bookstore, and stop by the coffee house for snacks. The Mount Angel Abbey has a museum as well, open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with original art to explore. You can listen to the Abbey's beautiful bells and see their impressive Martin Ott pipe organ. They even have a brewery to check out. While they won't ship the beer they make, you can purchase it there or do tasting flights for $2, with seating indoors as well as outdoors on the patio and covered pavilion.