New Camaldoli Hermitage
New Camaldoli Hermitage (formally called Immaculate Heart Hermitage) is a rural Camaldolese Benedictine hermitage in the Santa Lucia Mountains of Big Sur, California, in the United States. The Camaldolese branch of the Benedictine family was founded by St. Romuald in the late 10th century. The hermitage was consecrated under the Immaculate Heart of Mary and was known by that name for its first decades, but its official name is New Camaldoli. The hermitage was founded in 1958 by two monks from the motherhouse in Camaldoli in Tuscany, who had spent two years searching for a site that combined solitude and natural beauty. It is located at an altitude of approximately , and is approached by a winding road nearly two miles long, which gives the visitor a clear view of the landscape and Pacific coastline. The hermitage is located   from the Big Sur Coast Highway (Highway 1),  south of the Lucia Lodge. It is situated between San Luis Obispo ( to the south) and Monterey ( to the north). There is a sign with a large, wooden Benedictine cross at the entrance. History

Before the arrival of the Spanish in the 1700s, the land may have first been occupied the Salinan Antonianos subtribe who are believed to have lived on the coast and inland as far north as Soledad. It's believed the northern limit of the tribe along the Santa Lucia Mountains is Junipero Serra Peak, east of Slates Hot Springs. The Salinan named it Pimkolam. After their forced baptism and relocation to the Spanish missions during the late 1700s and early 1800s, the land was claimed by Gabriel Dani and his family in 1875. They built a home and the first school house along the coast. They raised cattle and cultivated orchards of citrus fruit as well as apples, pears, peaches, plums and apricots. While earning cash to get through the winter, Gabriel worked on a ranch in the Salinas Valley. He lost his right arm in an accident on a threshing machine. Lucia became the postmistress and the post office was named for her, which became the place name for the settlement. The Dani’s remained on the coast until 1905 when they moved to San Lucas where Gabriel died. The Lucia Lodge is situated below the old homestead overlooking the sea. Two of their children married children of the Pfeiffer family. Alvin first married Mary Ellen Pfieffer. She died soon after their third daughter was born in 1900, and Alvin then married her sister, Flora Katherine or "Kate". Alvin's sister Ada married neighbor Wilbur Harlan from Pacific Valley. Gabriel and Barbara's daughter Amelia married William Pfieffer and lived in the Big Sur region for many years. After his death, his widow Barbara and their daughter Lucia moved to Monterey until Barbara passed away in 1926. Lucia never married. Their son Isaiah lived on the family ranch after his parents moved to San Lucas in 1905. He ran the coast ranch until 1925, when it was sold to Chicago industrialist Edward S. Moore. In 1925, Moore bought the Sheridan Press, the Circle M Ranch in Wyoming, and the Dani property in the same year, which he also named the Circle M Ranch. He raised horses in Wyoming that he raced at Hialeah in Florida. Radio personality John Nesbitt bought the ranch in 1942 and he moved his family to the ranch in 1947. It was later owned by the Smart brothers of King City. The Benedictine Order of Camaldolese monks acquired part of the Lucia Ranch property, now known as the Circle M ranch, in 1958. Vows 

Upon commiting to live as a hermit, a monk must commit to four vows. Poverty. Must voluntarily give up the right to own anything. Must live frugally. Chastity. A hermit must give up the right to a married state, taking on an obligation of celibacy. Obedience. He must freely give up the right to live by his own will. He is bound to follow the dictates of the Father Superior. Stability. Must vow to live as monks in the house where the vows are made. In essence, a novice vows to re- main at New Camaldoli for the rest of his life (unless ordered elsewhere by his Superior. Hermitage life

A dozen monks live and work at the hermitage. Each monk lives in a small cottage, called a "cell," which is divided from its neighbors by a high wall, and includes a small garden. Labors include a guest ministry, retreats, a bakery, a book store, cooking and writing. In July 2013, Father Cyprian Consiglio, O.S.B. Cam., was elected prior of the hermitage. Food products
The hermitage sells its own fruitcake, date-nut cake, and granola on a recipe developed by the monks, to help support the hermitage. Retreats

Retreats, normally silent and non-directed, may be made at the hermitage; over 150,000 people have made retreats. Expansion
New Camaldoli has founded two daughter communities, Incarnation Monastery in Berkeley, California, near the GTU, north of U.C. Berkeley in 1979 and the Monastery of the Risen Christ in San Luis Obispo, California in 2014. St. Romuald’s brief rule
Sit in your cell as in paradise. Put the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish. The path you must follow is in the Psalms—never leave it. If you have just come to the monastery, and in spite of your good will you cannot accomplish what you want, take every opportunity you can to sing the Psalms in your heart and to understand them with your mind. And if your mind wanders as you read, do not give up; hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more. Realize above all that you are in God's presence, and stand there with the attitude of one who stands before the emperor. Empty yourself completely and sit waiting, content with the grace of God, like the chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing but what his mother brings him. References

Camaldolese monasteries
Benedictine monasteries in the United States
Christian organizations established in 1958
Christian hermitages in the United States
1958 establishments in California
Big Sur