The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, located at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama, is truly an amazing and awe-inspiring place.

Located on 400 acres of lush farmland southeast of Cullman, the medieval-style monastery and the Shrine itself are a wonder one could hardly expect to experience outside of Old World Europe, much less to find in the rural southeastern United States.

Home to the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration, a cloistered Franciscan Order, the monastery was built by Mother Angelica, founder of the Eternal Word Television Network. The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, located in the monastery's Upper Church, is described by the Order as "a Temple consecrated to Almighty God, open to people of all faiths." Regardless of what faith one subscribes to, the Shrine is nothing short of breathtaking: a grand and beautiful place of solemn reverence and contemplation. The builders of the Shrine intended for it to be a "Sacred place," separate from the profanity of the outside world. It is indeed that and more. It is a profound testament to Faith carved in wood and stone.

The interior of the chapel is exquisitely built, from its inlaid marble floors to the high vaulted ceiling. Above, below and everywhere in between, the Shrine was designed "to give glory and honour to the Almighty." The centerpiece of the sanctuary is the Monstrance, the Throne of God upon which rests the Most Blessed Sacrament. Below the Monstrance is the Tabernacle, a cathedral-shaped vessel that holds the Consecrated Host. The Reredos, a 55-foot high 24-carat gold-leafed wall handcarved from Paraguayan cedar by Spanish artisans, separates the public area of the sanctuary from the Divine Office Choir and provides a throne for the Monstrance. The Temple's main altar is a large marble dias, inlaid with a glass and gold mosaic of a pelican, symbolizing Christ and his suffering on Calvary. The Nuns' Mass Choir, on the chapel's south end, is separated from the public area by a large brass grille. The cloistered nuns of the monastery attend Mass here. Also present in the sanctuary, flanking the Reredos to the left and right, are gold-leafed devotional altars to the Divine Christ Child and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Also located here are four hand-carved confessionals, where an ordained priest hears confession at appointed times daily. Surrounding the interior are numerous stained glass windows, custom made by traditional glass makers in Munich, Germany. Fourteen small upper windows represent the nine Choirs of Angels with individual windows depicting Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, a Guardian Angel and an Angel of the Apocalypse. The larger windows depict scenes of the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin to Elizabeth, the Ascension, the Adoration of the Magi, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Assumption, the Resurrection and others.

The monastery's public area has a reception desk, where an attendant is available to answer visitors' questions. Across from the reception desk is St. Joseph's Room, where visitors may sit, relax and peruse provided literature. At the far end of the public area is the Enclosure Door, which seperates the clostered area from those areas open to the public. nearby is the stairwell to the Lower Church, where one can find the Shroud of Turin Exhibit - where replica images of the famous Shroud are displayed - as well as the crypts and the Lower Church Sanctuary.

At the base of the hill upon which the Upper Church and monastery are built are two more public areas of interest to visitors. One is the Creche, or Holy Cave, a small chapel that contains a near-life size Nativity scene intended to "preserve the awe and wonder of Christmas throughout the entire year." The other is Castle San Miguel.

Castle San Miguel was named for Saint Michael the Archangel and was built to complement the 13th Century style of the monastery. The castle houses a large conference room, catered eating facilities and the Gift Shop of El Nino, where visitors may purchase keepsakes as well as religious literature, rosaries, medalions and other items. The castle features custom-made statues of the Archangel Michael and St. Joan of Arc and has many displays of medieval weaponry and armor inside. According to monastery officials, the castle and its contents are intended to exemplify the spirit of those who have donned "the armor of God" throughout the ages and fought for the Glory of God.

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The history of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of the Angels begins with foundress and Abbess Mother Mary Angelica.

Mother Angelica is the founder of the Eternal Word Television Network, the largest privately-owned religious programming network in the world. EWTN first went on the air in 1981, broadcasting from a garage at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Irondale, Alabama, which Mother Angelica founded in 1962. EWTN became a 24-hour broadcast in 1984. The network has an annual operating budget of approximately $30 million, 100-percent of which comes from donations.

In 1995, while visiting the Sanctuary of the Divino Nino Jesus in Bogota, Columbia, Mother Angelica received a vision while praying before a small statue of the Divine Child Jesus. The statue came to life and said to her: "Build Me a Temple, and I will help those who help you."

Pilgrimages are available for groups of ten or more and individuals are welcome to join any scheduled activity at the Shrine. Out of respect for the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Nuns request that visitors refrain from wearing shorts, tank tops, sleeveless shirts or mini-skirts. Photographs are not allowed in the Shrine itself, as it may distract the Nuns and pilgrims at adoration.

If you have any questions about pilgrimages, please contact EWTN's Pilgrimage Department: