Near Crozet, a monastery of Trappistine nuns spend their days making delicious artisanal cheese.
The 13 Sisters of Our Lady of the Angel monastery, a Trappistine monastery located near Crozet, Virginia, believe God has a plan for everyone. When Sister Barbara Smickel arrived on the newly purchased 507-acre farm in central Virginia in 1987, she was surprised to find an abandoned cheese barn filled with ready-to-use machinery. Without much hesitation, Smickel and the others realized God’s plan.
The first rounds of cheese made by the Sisters were in 1990. Their semi-soft, mild Dutch-style Gouda comes in 2-pound wheels. The Sisters use it to make grilled cheese sandwiches.
Sister Myriam Saint-Vilus unwraps gouda cheese in the monastery’s kitchen for Sunday’s spaghetti night, March 11, 2019 in Crozet, Virginia. The sisters use their cheese for almost every meal and it never goes to waste. “How can you get sick of something that you are proud of? We know how it is made and what is in it,” said Saint-Vilus.
Tucked in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, down a lengthy stretch off Route 250, over a bridge, through the woods and at the end of a gravel road sits Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, perched on the hillside. This is where the Sisters live a self-sustained lifestyle filled with prayer, devotion and cheese making.
Their day starts around 3 a.m. with a morning prayer. By 7 a.m., Sister Myriam Saint-Vilus leaves mass early to turn on the autoclave. The windows of the cheese room grow foggy as the room heats up to a proper cheese-mixing temperature. By 9 a.m., Sister Maria Gonzalo forms ovals around steel presses, and by 11 a.m., the machines cut the sheets of cheese mixture into cubes. Sister Jacqueline Melendez takes the cubes and squeezes them into molds. They work in shifts and wear scrubs and rain boots in the barn — it’s a full-day affair.
Sister Maria Gonzalo stirs the cheese Thursday morning, on March 21, 2019 in Crozet, Virginia. Thursday is cheese making day at the monastery and the sisters take turns coming down to the barn in shifts. The cheese is stirred in 20 minute increments, “We always say the secret ingredient is love and prayer. You get out what you put it,” Gonzalo said.
“This work is good,” Sister Eve Marie Aragona said. “It becomes sort of mindless and allows us to work for God in ways similar to prayer and our studies.”
Sister Maria Gonzola, Sister Barbara Smickel and Sister Myriam Saint-Vilus practice lyrics for their Palm Sunday Mass April 12, 2019 in Crozet, Virginia. The three have been practicing all week making sure they hit every note correctly and on key. “This is will be the last night we run it, I promise,” said Smickel.The wash room sits foggy on cheese making days. The cheese making process requires a moist environment.Sister Maria Gonzalo checks on the empty milk tank before delivery, March 4, 2019 in Crozet, Virginia. “We get our milk delivered regularly and locally. We like to know where everything is coming from and exactly what gets put in,” Gonzalo said.The sisters squeeze water from the gouda cheese before weighing Thursday morning, on March 21, 2019 in Crozet, Virginia. Thursday is cheese making day at the monastery and cheese process takes about 6-8 hours from start to finish.Sister Maria Gonzalo opens the curtains to the milk room at the cheese barn. Thursdays are cheese days and the sisters arrive in shifts down at the barn starting around 7 a.m.Batch 830 waits in the chilling room to be packaged and sold. The cheese barn has 3 chilling rooms and during the holidays, all three can be packed.Sister Eve Marie Aragona takes a break to call up to the church. Eve Marie prefers working in the cheese barn alone, “I do not really need to think about what I am doing, it is easy, peaceful work,” Aragona said.Sister Jacqueline Melendez meditates during evening vespers, March 30, 2019 in Crozet, Virginia.Sister Claire Boudrau dishes out spaghetti sauce before supper. The sisters eat family-style because it is another way to emphasize community and sharing of blessings. Their Gouda cheese is also served on the table.The sisters and guests stand in silence as they light candles Saturday evening, April 20, 2019 in Crozet, Virginia. This ends their procession into the church for Easter mass.
Written and Photographed by Erin Edgerton, Capital News Service. Top Photo: The sisters prepare the patio with candles and a fire for Easter service Saturday evening April 20, 2019 in Crozet, Virginia. Once the guests arrive this begins their procession into the church for Easter mass.
VCU CNS
Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University's Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.
More information at vcucns.com
Virginia lawmakers have approved changes to the state’s long-standing food-to-alcohol sales requirement for restaurants, easing restrictions that many operators have said no longer reflect how the industry works. The legislation, HB975, passed during the 2026 General...
Randy O’Dell has a posse. The co-owner of Get Tight Lounge, and owner of En Su Boca, and beloved bars and restaurants of RVA legend, has always known how to attract incredible talent in his kitchen and behind the bar. He’s joined forces with Drew Schlegel in keeping...
Every year around this time, Richmond slips a little. It starts small and you catch it out of the corner of your eye. Someone in armor pumping gas. A Jedi standing at the crosswalk on Broad, waiting for the light like everyone else. A guy in full wizard robes standing...
Editor’s Note: This column is informed by recent reporting from Brad Kutner at Radio IQ and WVTF on proposed changes to Virginia’s food-to-alcohol sales ratio, as well as conversations with people connected to the restaurant and hospitality industry. Virginia’s liquor...
2025 has been a tough year for farming across the country, and from the outside looking in, it’s hard to tell what’s actually happening versus what’s being spun. So instead of guessing about beef prices or egg shortages, it made sense to ask someone dealing with these...
Richmond has its own way of ringing in the New Year. A little backward glance, a little chaos, and just enough polish to feel intentional. You can lean into loud live shows, dress up for something splashy, or keep it simple with a solid drink and good company. However...
Editor’s note: Since this story was originally written, Alex Na hosted another free tiramisu drop over the weekend, continuing to build a following around his community dessert project. This feature was submitted by Jordan Smith, a journalism student at the Richard T....
The Carver neighborhood sits tucked between the highway and the downtown sprawl, close enough to reach everything and overlooked long enough to feel like its own island. So when CONEX appeared there a few weeks ago, rising out of a sunken concrete pit built from cargo...
