History
In 1888, the Sisters of St. Mary, an Episcopal Order remembered as saints for their heroic ministry during the Memphis yellow fever epidemic, started a simple convent in Sewanee, Tennessee.
The Sisters soon opened a school for mountain children, for whom the county school was too distant and the road too difficult. As transportation improved, it became a boarding school for girls until 1968, then later a retreat center sponsored by the Order using the former school buildings.
When the Sisters moved to a convent nearby in 1988, the property was purchased by Robert Ayres, and he began an expanded ministry as a center for spiritual development, continuing the Sisters’ ministry.
For the last 30 years, St. Mary’s Sewanee: The Ayres Center for Spiritual Development has welcomed individuals and groups from across the United States and around the world to a place to receive spiritual renewal and rest.
To find out more about the Sisters and what they are doing today, visit their website here
St. Mary’s Sewanee is not affiliated with the Community of St. Mary. The sisters invite St. Mary’s Sewanee guests to their worship services. Visit (convent link) for more information.