• A Resting Place in Prayer and Peace

    Where the departed are not forgotten but remembered—in prayer, in love, in hope

    Columbarium

At Mepkin Abbey, something sacred happens each day among the monks.

In the quiet stillness of this monastic community – nestled along the Cooper River, surrounded by sweeping fields and graceful southern gardens – Trappist monks live not for themselves, but for the world, for you.

Their days move in harmony with both nature and eternity. Amid the shelter of ancient forests where whitetail deer roam, wild turkeys’ stride, squirrels scatter, birds sing, and even the smallest insects hum with life, the monks rise before dawn and retire with the setting sun.

Hidden from noise and haste, their life is one of intercessory prayer, silence, and contemplative service. And in that silence, their prayer carries the sorrow of the grieving, the memory of the dead, and the hope of the living into the heart of God.

Mepkin is a refuge. It is a promise. It is a resting place—held in prayer, rooted in resurrection, and alive with hope.

The Mepkin Abbey Columbarium: A Place of Sacred Rest

Burying the dead is recognized as one of the Biblical Seven Corporal Works of Mercy. This act honors the dignity of the human body, created in the image of God, and expresses faith in the resurrection of the dead. The monastic practice of placing and caring for human remains in a sacred resting site dates back to ancient times, and modern Christian teaching allows cremation and inurnment when chosen in faith and reverence. Today, Mepkin Abbey continues this tradition with a thoughtfully designed columbarium, offering a sacred resting place for cremated remains.

Choosing the Columbarium offers an affordable, sustainable, and meaningful option for inurnment. Those whose remains are placed here become part of Mepkin’s sacred history and landscape—a place where the memory of the departed is enfolded in daily prayer, silence, and the peace of nature.

Why Choose the Mepkin Abbey Columbarium?

Columbarium

  • Perpetual Care & Memorilization:

    Your investment in a niche includes perpetual care, ensuring the long-term maintenance and respect of this sacred space, and permanent memorialization of the names of the deceased are engraved and preserved with care, honoring each life within the prayerful embrace of Mepkin.

  • Inclusion in Prayer:

    The monks of Mepkin Abbey remember those resting here in their daily prayers and Eucharistic celebrations, offering comfort and a sense of enduring care to families and loved ones.

  • Protected Grounds:

    Under their stewardship, the monks have ensured that these grounds are under binding conservation protection in perpetuity.

  • Unparalleled Tranquility:

    From the ancient oak alley to the whispering old-growth forest and the tranquil flow of the Cooper River, the profound peace and serenity that permeates the Columbarium grounds heals the soul.

  • Support for Monastic Life:

    By choosing Mepkin, you are also supporting the continued presence and spiritual work of the Trappist monks in the Lowcountry.

  • A Welcoming Community:

    Mepkin extends its hospitality to people of all faiths or no faith who appreciate the beauty and sacredness of this place.

The Columbarium at Mepkin offers several options for inurnment. Niches provide a designated space to hold urns of cremated remains, and the ossuary offers a communal chamber where urns are placed together within the Columbarium.

  • Single niche (one person): $4,500
  • Double niche (two persons): $5,500
  • Multiple niche (three – four persons): $7,000 / $8,500
  • Ossuary space: $1,500

Every purchase includes:

  • Urn(s)
  • Inscription of names
  • Christian inurnment service by a monk
  • Enrollment in the monk’s daily prayers, petitions, and Eucharistic celebrations
  • Perpetual care of the Columbarium and gardens

An ossuary is a sacred structure designed to hold the cremated remains of the faithful together in a common resting place. The word comes from the Latin ossuarium, meaning “container for bones.” Ossuaries have been used since ancient times—in catacombs beneath Rome, monastic cloisters of medieval Europe, and churchyards across the centuries—as expressions of humility, unity, and the shared hope of resurrection.

The Mepkin Abbey Ossuary continues this tradition within the serene monastic landscape overlooking the Cooper River. It offers a dignified and affordable resting place for those who wish their final repose to be within the prayers of a living monastery. Each day, the monks of Mepkin remember the departed in their prayers and Eucharistic celebrations. Those whose cremains rest within the ossuary are forever held in this rhythm of remembrance and peace.

A space in the ossuary includes a soft urn, inurnment within the shared sacred chamber, and a prayer of committal by one of the monks. Memorial engravings include first and last names only, reflecting the monastic values of simplicity and humility.

Mepkin Abbey Ossuary
Columbarium

Visiting Mepkin Abbey and the Columbarium

We warmly invite you to visit Mepkin Abbey to experience the peace and beauty of this special place firsthand. We would be honored to provide you with a personal tour of the grounds and the Columbarium.

If you are interested in learning more about the Mepkin Abbey Columbarium or would like to schedule a visit, please contact one of our Client Guides, David George or Michele Russell:

We are here to answer any questions you may have and assist you in making this important decision. We hope you find solace and peace in considering Mepkin Abbey as a final resting place.

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