Ephrata Cloister Associates

Historic Ephrata Cloister (est. 1732) was a protestant monastic community. Members,mostly German immigrants,sought spiritual goals rather than earthly rewards. Historic Ephrata Cloister, founded in 1732, was a German Protestant Monastic Community. Accomplishments included Architecture, Printing, Fraktur, and Music. Site Open Hours: Wednesdays - Saturdays 9am-4pm & Sundays 12pm-4pm. Guided tours available daily. THE EPHRATA CLOISTER'S HISTORIC BUILDINGS, COLLECTIONS, AND PROGRAMMING INVITE THE EXPLORATION OF THIS UNIQUE COMMUNITY'S SPIRITUAL, CREATIVE, AND INTELLECTUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY ENCOURAGING VISITORS TO DEVELOP A PERSONAL CONNECTION TO PENNSYLVANIA'S SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN RELIGIOUS TOLERATION AND INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM. THE EPHRATA CLOISTER ASSOCIATES IS DEDICATED TO THE CONTINUED PRESERVATION AND PROMOTION OF THE EPHRATA CLOISTER THROUGH THE SPONSORSHIP OF SPECIAL CLOISTER RELATED EVENTS SUCH AS LANTERN TOURS, APPLE DUMPLING DAY, DAY OF MUSIC, CHRISTMAS AT THE CLOISTER, THE STUDENT HISTORIAN PROGRAM AND OTHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR SPECIAL AUDIENCES. THE EPHRATA CLOISTER CHORUS, SPONSORED BY THE ASSOCIATES, IS UNIQUE AS IT RELATES TO THE MUSEUM AND THE HISTORIC SITE. THE CHORUS PERFORMS SEVERAL OF OVER 1,000 HYMNS WRITTEN AT THE SITE. IN ADDITION TO EPHRATA'S PAST, THE GROUP PERFORMS COMPOSITIONS FROM OTHER EARLY AMERICAN COMMUNITIES INCLUDING WORKS FROM THE SHAKERS, THE MORAVIANS, THE HA