The Ephrata Cloister

The Ephrata Cloister in Ephrata, PA (near Lancaster) is another “I didn’t see it when I lived there, but came back as a tourist” experience. The Ephrata Cloister is not far at all from where Doug grew up in Pennsylvania, yet he never managed to stop by. We got lucky for our visit, with an absolutely beautiful spring day, plus an excellent tour guide.

The Ephrata Cloister was not at all what we imagined by the name “cloister”, which evoked images of robed monks walking down a sheltered walk, with light from a central outdoor area streaming in through the colonnade. Instead we found several German-style buildings scattered over grassy fields.  It turns out the villagers in town had no idea what to make of the odd religious community, and they were the ones to name it the Ephrata Cloister.

The Cloister began in 1732, when Conrad Beissel arrived from Germany in search of religious freedom.  Beissel believed the Second Coming would happen any minute, and that an individual’s days should be spent preparing for the event. His 80 celibate followers (dressed in white robes to hide their physical form) rose at 5 am and spent the day alternating between work and prayer before having their one and only meal (vegetarian) at 6 pm. The period from 7 to 9 pm was for education, followed by 3 hours of sleep, 2 hours watching for the coming of Christ, and 3 hours of sleep. That’s only 6 hours of (interrupted) sleep! Be sure to check out the photo showing the wooden block they used as a pillow.

The community also attracted 200 or so followers from families. These lived on nearby farms and had a more flexible schedule.

The Ephrata Cloister’s legacy includes architecture, more than 1,000 original a cappella musical compositions in 4-part harmony, publishing, and the German calligraphic art of Frakturschriften. The Society experienced a decline after Beissel’s death in 1768; in 1814 the remaining followers rebranded as the German Seventh Day Baptist Church, which continued to operate in the buildings until 1934. Shortly thereafter, the state took over and preserved the property.

You can watch a video about the Ephrata Cloister here; it’s honestly worth watching just for the fake beards.