Settling in Cullman in the 1880s, the monks established St. Bernard Abbey on September 29, 1891. The fledgling community of monks chose its location because of the area’s healthy climate, rapid growth, and access to transportation.
In the same year, the monks established St. Bernard Preparatory School. The school was chartered by the State of Alabama in February 1893, and though primarily a college preparatory school, including middle school grades, St. Bernard regularly conferred bachelor’s degrees.
Throughout the 20th century, in response to needs of the day, the Abbey sponsored schools for students of varying ages. These included a grammar school, high school, junior and senior college, and seminary formation programs.
True to the original 1891 mission, our school exists today in the form of St. Bernard Preparatory School, a co-educational secondary school for residential boarding and day students.