Visiting New Skete

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Should you ever find yourself near our back door to New England, you are most welcome to visit and pray with us or simply to have some quiet time for reflection. The Nuns are located about 2 miles east of the village of Cambridge, New York, the Monks are about 4 miles further east. New Skete is located approximately 45 miles northeast of Albany, NY, and approximately 20 miles northwest of Bennington, VT in the gentle and lovely Taconic Mountains, which geologically sideswipe the Green Mountains of Vermont, just north of the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts.

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Liturgical Services
Our worship services are open to all.  
Click here for schedule of church services.

When visiting New Skete Monastery we ask that you leave your dog at home.

Except for service animals or approved support animals for persons with disabilities, no pets are allowed at New Skete Monastery.  To make an appointment to visit with your service animal or approved support animal email nscom@newskete.org.

Other exceptions include: attending the Blessing of the Animals with your pet, arriving with your pet for your scheduled appointment with New Skete Dog Training,  and attendance at The Art of Training Your Dog Workshop by registered guests.

  We are pleased to share the quiet, solitude and beauty of our surroundings with you. Retreats differ in focus. A retreat can simply be a time of rest and renewal from your daily life, or you may desire to have a more directed retreat in the context of our liturgical life. The structure of your time with us can be worked out once you arrive, or you may communicate your interest ahead of time. We welcome guests throughout the year, with the exception of our own retreat times, mid-August through mid-September, and our mid-winter retreat, usually in February. Our guest rooms are usually booked several weeks in advance, so we recommend making your reservation early. Please check the group retreats page for thematic retreats planned throughout the year.

Retreats may be scheduled for two or more nights, starting at noon on Tuesday and ending with the mid-day meal on Sunday. All meals are provided. Animals cannot be accommodated unless you require a service dog. People of all faiths are welcome and are encouraged to join us for the daily offices of Matins, Vespers, as well as Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days. In addition, there is ample time for private prayer and reflection, as well as conversations with other guests and monastics. The grounds of the communities are open to guests with the exception of areas designated as private. 

The breathtaking churches, the extensive gardens and waterfall feature and the peace and solitude of New Skete welcome you to learn about its history, art and culture.

A typical visit to New Skete includes a tour of the churches, with one of the brothers giving a lecture on their history and the icons depicted on the walls, a question-and-answer session, a visit to the Meditation Garden, a visit to the monks’ gift shop and a stop at the nuns’ monastery to purchase cheesecake for home.   You may even catch a glimpse of the famed New Skete German Shepherd dog.

Donations are gratefully accepted.

There is ample parking and buses can be accommodated.  

New Skete tours are wheelchair accessible. 

Tours are not available on Sundays and Mondays. 

Groups tours are for groups of 10 or more people and are by appointment only. 

To schedule a tour, please submit a group tour request form.