This NYC Museum Was Literally Built with Medieval Monasteries Shipped from Europe to the USA

The Only Medieval Art Museum in America

Sitting high above Manhattan in Fort Tryon Park, The Cloisters looks out over the Hudson River and the Palisades cliffs.

This museum opened on May 10, 1938, and makes you feel like you’ve stepped into medieval Europe with its authentic building pieces and huge collection of medieval art.

Here are some interesting facts about the Cloisters, one of the must-visit museums in New York City.

It’s Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC

The Cloisters (aka The Met Cloisters) has been part of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1938. The Met’s Board of Trustees runs this northern Manhattan gem with the same care as its famous main building.

Built from Real European Monasteries

The Cloisters combine parts from authentic medieval monasteries from Europe, including four different cloisters: Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem, Bonnefont, and Trie.

Workers carefully numbered and wrapped each stone before shipping it to New York and rebuilding it between 1934 and 1939.

George Grey Barnard collected these old building pieces from France (1905-1913). John D. Rockefeller Jr. later bought them for the Metropolitan Museum for $16 million.

Protecting the View Across the Hudson

To keep the view from The Cloisters beautiful, John D. Rockefeller Jr. bought 700 acres across the Hudson River in the 1930s.

He protected the land from the George Washington Bridge northward, making sure future visitors could always see the natural beauty of the Palisades cliffs.

This continued the work of J.P. Morgan, who had earlier bought 12 miles of shoreline in 1900 to stop quarries from damaging the Palisades.

The Mystery of the Unicorn Tapestries

These seven mysterious tapestries showing a unicorn hunt have puzzled experts for over 500 years, masterpieces between 1495 and 1505. After surviving the French Revolution and major damage, John D. Rockefeller Jr. bought them in 1922.

The tapestries mix religious and non-religious images and also have mysterious letters ‘A’ and ‘E’ woven into them. Some interpretations say that elements of the tapestries represent Christ, eternal life, and marriage.

The Design Was Inspired by a Fortified Monastery

Rockefeller’s vision for ‘picturesque and romantic’ manifested in the four-story square tower, modeled after the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa.

The design also includes sturdy buttresses, thick stone walls, and narrow windows that echo authentic medieval fortifications.

Modern Security for Ancient Art

The Cloisters may look medieval, but its security system is incredibly advanced. Sensors create invisible barriers around valuable pieces and will send out alerts if you get too close.

The system is specially calibrated for different types of medieval art, with varying sensitivity levels for paintings, sculptures, and tapestries.

The Cloisters Also Has Medieval Gardens

Inside The Cloisters’ medieval walls, three special gardens show Middle Age cultivation. At The Trie Cloister Garden, you can see plants from the famous Unicorn Tapestries.

The Cuxa Cloister has a cross-shaped design with pink marble columns, while Bonnefont holds over 250 medieval plant types organized by how people used them.

The Ancient Chapel from Spain

Inside the Cloisters stands a masterpiece from medieval Spain: the Fuentiduena Chapel.

This rounded wall was originally part of the San Marti­n Church, built between 1175-1200 when Christians were defending against the Moors.

Its decorated column tops show the Three Kings visiting baby Jesus and Daniel in the lions’ den. A beautiful 1100s crucifix from the St. Clara convent hangs inside.

To get these to NYC, workers moved over 3,300 individual blocks of sandstone and limestone in 839 crates.

The Judy Black Garden of Paradise

Following designs from the 1100s to 1400s, the enclosed space has symmetrical flower beds filled with historic plants, including sweet-smelling lavender, rosemary, and healing herbs. You’ll see the garden change, from spring bulbs to summer flowers and fall berries.

The Precious Mérode Altarpiece

One of The Cloisters’ most valuable pieces is the Mérode Altarpiece, one of the most important early Dutch paintings ever made.

Created between 1427 and 1432 in Tournai, Belgium, this three-panel painting came from Robert Campin’s workshop, though experts still debate exactly who made it.

The altarpiece shows new oil painting techniques and amazing detail, with the middle panel showing the angel Gabriel visiting Mary, while the side panels show kneeling donors and Joseph working as a carpenter.

The Central Park Connection

Fort Tryon Park came from the creative mind of Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., whose father helped create Central Park.

Olmsted Jr. turned the rocky ground into a beautiful park, making eight miles of walking paths, elegant walkways, and green terraces with one of Manhattan’s best river views.

It includes the beautiful Heather Garden built into natural ridges, an Alpine Garden with decorated caves, and a fancy plaza with a triangle-shaped pool.

Listen to Live Medieval Music

For over 50 years, the museum has held concerts in the 1100s church wall from San Martín.

There’s a mix of old and new, from traditional early music to ModernMedieval’s blend of ancient chants with new music.

The Clarion Choir also puts on long concerts that include a five-hour celebration of Ockeghem’s music throughout the galleries.

The Only Complete Medieval Card Deck

The Cloisters also has the world’s only complete set of decorated playing cards from the 1400s. Gold and silver highlights decorate each rounded-end card.

Made in Flanders between 1470-1480, these 52 hand-painted cards show hunting scenes with horns, dog collars, leashes, and snares.

How To Visit the Cloisters in 2025

The Cloisters sits on a hill looking over the Hudson River, and you can take the A train to 190th Street station to get there.

Adults pay $30, with lower prices for seniors and students. Members, patrons, and kids under 12 get in free. If you live in New York State, you can pay what you want.

Check the official site of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for complete details.