Bellarmine Retreat Center To Close

The picture below is of the Buena Vista Hotel and Bellarmine Hall built around the turn of the century. The once lavish hotel was a summer retreat for many from Washington DC and the surrounding area. The hotel flourished until the great depression. Unable to survive it was sold to The Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in 1931. It was made available to Catholic and non-profit groups since the 1960s as a retreat. The main hotel structure burnt to the ground in 1967 and only the chapel and a few out building remain.

The Bellarmine Retreat Center operated by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus as a retreat center since the 1960s. Unfortunately, due to changing priorities effective the Bellarmine Retreat Center will be permanently closing its doors on September 3, 2018. What started as a summer retreat for the very rich and prosperous, then became a haven for religious and non-profit groups, will now cease to exist.