Peaceful retreat and meeting spaces near Madison

All are welcome! Our comfortable meeting rooms in the retreat & guest house and monastery building provide space for 4 to 300 people. These spaces are simply decorated to avoid distractions and allow your group to accomplish what you came here to do. Bring your group here for your next meeting, retreat or event. Our spaces are also ideal for weddings and memorial services.

Enhance your visit with delicious, healthy meals prepared fresh onsite or stay overnight in our comfortable, relaxing bedrooms and hermitages. Enjoy the beautiful grounds with restored prairie, savanna, woods, orchards, gardens and a glacial lake. Experience gracious Benedictine hospitality throughout your stay.

“This is an amazing place to stay if you are in need of peace and silence. The staff members are pleasant, friendly, and helpful. The whole environment is conducive to contemplation and relaxation. The chef is expert in preparing simple, delicious and healthy meals. Expect a small, simply furnished, comfortable room to sleep in. There are many paths to hike in the acres surrounding the monastery. This is the place to refresh your soul.”


Schedule your group visit

Let our staff help you plan your next group gathering at Holy Wisdom Monastery. Contact us at monastery@holywisdommonastery.org or 608-836-1631, x100. Fill out our Group Availability Form, by clicking the Schedule button below, to start planning your group visit.

Schedule your group today
2024 rates & handbook
2025 rates & handbook

Retreat & guest house

Our retreat & guest house (RGH) is used by a variety of groups and individuals for meetings, retreats and events. The building also features overnight accommodations. View our meeting rooms and descriptions below.


Lake view room

RGH-113The lake view room (room 110) is located on the first floor with windows overlooking Lost Lake, our 10,000 year old glacial lake. Restrooms and a guest kitchen are conveniently located down the hall. The room is carpeted, air conditioned, equipped with an AV screen and is furnished with upholstered chairs that allows flexibility in meeting your group’s needs. Tables can be added or the space can be left wide open for activity such as meditation, yoga, etc.

Full day rate $314, half day rate $188 | max capacity 40 | 36′ x 24′ | 864 square feet

Garden room

The garden room (room 113) is the largest of the meeting rooms in this building and can accommodate up to 90. It is on the main floor with a separate entrance through a garden courtyard. Restrooms and a guest kitchen are conveniently located nearby. The room is carpeted, air conditioned and equipped with an AV screen. The room is furnished with upholstered chairs and tables in a classroom-style arrangement but can be re-arranged to meet your needs.

Full day rate $520, half day rate $312 | max capacity 90 | 39′ x 38′ | 1,482 square feet

St. Benedict room

The St. Benedict room (room 10) is located on the lower level. It is carpeted, air conditioned, has conference tables set to seat 12 on one side of the room and a circle of upholstered armchairs with seating for 16 on the other side of the room. Room 10 has a separate outside building entrance. There is also a kitchen connected to the meeting space and conveniently located restrooms and elevator. This room is perfect for groups wanting face-to-face contact and writing/creating table space as well.

Full day rate $314, half day rate $188 | max capacity 16 | 18′ x 32′ | 576 square feet

Sun room & annex

The Sun Room & Annex (room 222) is located on the second floor. This two room area is carpeted, air conditioned and furnished with upholstered armchairs. An elevator is nearby for accessibility. It also features an exterior balcony and a splendid view of Lost Lake and the prairie. This is the smallest group room available and provides an intimate atmosphere for discussion.

Full day rate $214, half day rate $129 | sunroom: capacity 15 | 27′ x 14′ | 308 square feet | annex: capacity 10 | 15′ x 14′ | 210 square feet

Bedrooms

The bedrooms are simple rooms with either a single or double bed, desk, wardrobe and private bathroom. The Retreat & Guest House can accommodate a maximum of 24 overnight guests. If your group is larger than that, please contact us for a list of nearby hotels with similarly-priced accommodations. A light, self-serve continental breakfast is provided with all overnight room reservations. Check in time: 2:00 pm or later, check out time: 12:00 pm or earlier.

Room Type2024 Weekday Rate
Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs. nights
2024 Weekend Rate
Fri., Sat., Sun. nights
One Twin Bed$65$85
One Double Bed$65$85
One Queen Bed$77$99
Two Twin Beds$77$99
One Queen Bed +
One Twin Bed
$77$99
Two Queen Bed
(Lower Level RGH)
$65$85

Dining room

A continental breakfast for overnight guests is located in the first floor kitchen and can be eaten in the adjacent dining room. Non-overnight guests are welcome to enjoy the continental breakfast for a minimal charge.

Guests can use the kitchen for snacks. There is a refrigerator and microwave.

Hot beverages service for group meetings are set up in the kitchen or in your meeting room for an additional fee.

Oblate library

All guests are welcome to use the oblate library, located on the lower level of the Retreat & Guest House. Overnight guests may check out a book to read during their stay and return it before they leave. The door to the oblate library is always unlocked as the oblates want to ensure that all are welcome. There is also a computer for guest use in the library.


Monastery building

The environmentally friendly monastery building opened in the fall of 2009. In March 2010 the U.S. Green Building Council awarded Holy Wisdom Monastery a Platinum rating—the highest level of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification available.

View our meeting spaces and descriptions below.


Assembly room

The assembly room is used for Sunday worship, weddings, memorial services, concerts, group retreats, meetings and presentations. Some of the eco-friendly features include bamboo floor, tinted floor to ceiling windows for optimal natural light and ventilation and walls designed to optimize acoustics. An organ, piano, built-in sound system with recording capabilities, a drop down screen and chairs are present in the room.

Full day rate $999, half day rate $599 | max capacity: 300 | 74′ 74′ | 4,437 square feet

Guest dining room

The guest dining room features a view of the surrounding prairie and Lake Mendota. With 23 tables, the dining room can accommodate up to 150 people for meals and events. Coffee and tea are available throughout the day in the dining room. A small patio with fire pit is adjacent to the dining room. Natural lighting, bamboo flooring, screen and a sound system are some of the features. Small groups may wish to eat in the adjacent community dining room with the sisters and personal retreatants instead.

Full day rate $899, half day rate $539 | max capacity: 150 | 47′ x 47′ | 2,009 square feet

Community dining room

The community dining room is adjacent to the guest dining room and is where the sisters, personal retreatants and some small groups eat. This space is filled with natural light and opens up to a small deck.

Groups are available to rent this space for retreats, meetings and events.

Full day rate $543, half day rate $326

Gathering area

The gathering area is used as a place for people to gather prior to Sunday worship or events held in the assembly room or dining room. Art exhibits, receptions and other events are held here. Floor to ceiling windows provide a view of a small 10,000 year old glacial lake, memorial courtyard and prairie.

Full day rate $489, half day rate $294 | 92′ x 20′ | 1,632 square feet

Oratory and meditation chapel

The oratory and meditation chapel are located on the lower level of the monastery building. The oratory, our small chapel, is used for daily communal prayer. All are invited to join the sisters for morning, midday and evening prayer as well as centering prayer. The meditation chapel is adjacent to the oratory and is available for personal meditation.

Library

The 4,500-volume library specializes in theology and religion and carries titles on monasticism, ecumenism, scripture and preaching, spirituality, Christian churches and world religions, liturgy and women’s religious studies. Guests may use library materials in the library or on adjoining patio. They may also check out books to their rooms at any time during their retreat. Books are not to leave the Holy Wisdom Monastery grounds. NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY


Hermitages

The monastery grounds are home to two hermitages located in a peaceful wooded area. Each hermitage includes a living room, kitchen, bedroom (with one queen bed), bath, deck, air conditioning and parking. There is no wifi in the hermitages, but hermitage guests may use the wifi in the monastery building or retreat and guest house. Laundry facilities are available for hermitage guests. Hermitages are most often used for personal retreats of 2 nights up to 3 months, but guests here with groups can use the hermitages, if available. Hermitage guests may cook their own food or join in the community meals, for an additional fee, at the monastery. Hermitages are ideal for personal retreats.

There is a 2 night minimum stay for the hermitages. Check in is 3:00 pm or later and check out is 11:00 am or earlier. There is a 10% discount off hermitage rates after 6 nights.

Weekend nights (F-Su): $118
Weekday nights (M-Th): $110



Meals

Lunch and dinner are available for guests (meals not open to the general public), every day of the week, in the monastery building. A light continental, self-serve breakfast is available each morning in the retreat and guest house for overnight guests. Shared meals allow you to engage in conversation with members of the community and guests from around the world. We offer buffet-style meals prepared by our chefs from fresh, healthy, locally grown ingredients. The buffet line is open for 30 minutes at lunch and for dinner, please be prompt. Meals must be reserved 48 hours in advance.

Lunch, 12:00-12:30 pm, $16.60
Dinner, 5:15-5:45 pm, $20.00

Lodging

We offer overnight lodging in the retreat and guest house or in the two hermitages located in a peaceful wooded area. The simple rooms in the retreat & guest house feature single or double beds, private bathroom, desk and wardrobe.

For those seeking a more solitary experience, private hermitages can be reserved for 2 nights or up to 3 months, if available. The hermitages include a kitchenette, living room, bedroom, bathroom and an outdoor deck overlooking a wooded landscape.

Retreat & guest house
Weekdays (M-Th), $65/single; $77/double
Weekends (F-Su), $85/single; $99/double

Hermitages (2 night minimum)
Weekdays (M-Th), $110
Weekends (F-Su), $118


Plan your next meeting, group retreat or event at Holy Wisdom Monastery

Get away for a
personal retreat

As featured in
The Washington Post
Holy Wisdom Monastery is
Travel Green Wisconsin Certified
Come on a personal retreatHold your wedding hereHonor your loved one
with a memorial service
Hold your next
special event here