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The Abbey was constructed in 1914-17 as a monastery for the Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, usually referred to as the "Carmelite Sisters." These Sisters came to Davenport in 1911 from Baltimore. They settled at 15th and Brady Streets and began construction of a monastery there. They constructed the main chapel of this monastery on that site in 1912. When they decided to move to this site in 1914, they dismantled the chapel brick by brick and rebuilt it on this spot! The chapel cornerstone has both dates--1912 and 1917--indicating that the chapel was built twice.

The Sisters named their monastery "Regina Coeli"--Latin for "Queen of Heaven"-- Monastery. The Monastery was built to accommodate 21 Sisters, plus additional rooms for novices, or beginners.

Once a young woman entered this Monastery, she was never supposed to leave. The Sisters never looked upon the face of an outsider, except through a metal screen covered by a black cloth. Even here in the chapel, the Sisters attended Mass on the left side of the altar, behind a metal screen and black cloth. For them to receive communion, the priest--who never saw them--just put the host through a small door in the screen with the tips of his fingers.

No one was permitted to see the Sisters. If a tradesman came to the door to deliver food or goods, he just put his parcels on a turntable called a "turn," which the Sisters revolved to get the parcel without seeing the man.

Men were never allowed in the cloistered portions of the Monastery. They were allowed in the main chapel on certain occasions, and doctors and dentists treated the Sisters in the infirmary on the floor below, behind the chapel building.

Many Sisters were buried in this building, in the crypt beneath the altar. (This room is now the main kitchen.) The bodies of the deceased Sisters were removed in 1975, when the Carmelites left this monastery. Father Nagle, who was helpful to the Sisters in establishing the monastery, was originally buried in the side chapel (below where the marble altar now sits), but his body was removed many years ago.

The Sisters led very severe lives. Their monastery was beautiful on the outside, but the interior was stark and undecorated. They slept on boards covered with straw. They had no rugs, curtains or wallpaper. They bathed in their rooms, or "cells," with a pitcher and bowl. Their only clothing was their habit, and they did not wear shoes. In fact, they were called "Discalced Carmelites"--"discalced" is Latin for "without shoes".

The monastery originally had 116 rooms. The Sisters lived in very tiny "cells" about 8' by 9' on the top floor. In addition to the cells, there were rooms for food preparation and eating, assembly, work and prayer, recreation and practical needs--medical facilities, a vault, and the crypt where deceased Sisters were buried. The Sisters' work was making altar breads--the "hosts" for communion--and sewing vestments. The Sisters spent most of their time in prayer. They received their foodstuffs through the "turn" in the northwest corner room of the ground floor, from suppliers who never saw them.

The monastery is a Romanesque structure, of gold-mottled brick, with cream-white Bedford stone trimmings. It is 119 feet long, in double cruciform (cross) form. It is surrounded by a brick wall for privacy. There are two beautiful angels, one holding a lamp and the other a trumpet, on the roof of the chapel entrance. The stained glass windows in the chapel portray Carmelite saints, or scenes which are the subject of a Carmelite meditation.

In 1975, the Sisters moved from this monastery, which had become too large for them, to a smaller monastery in Eldridge, about 10 miles north. The monastery was taken over by the Franciscan Brothers of Christ the King in 1978. The Brothers turned the monastery into a retreat house, and invited the public in for banquets and tours.

When the Brothers could no longer maintain this monastery, they sold it to Joseph and Joan Lemon, and their son, Joseph, Jr., of Sausalito, California. The monastery has been completely renovated into a luxurious hotel, with 19 guest rooms, banquet and dining rooms, lobbies and lounges. It features Italian marble in the lobbies and baths, crystal chandeliers and new furnishings throughout. The hotel has all new bathrooms and mechanical systems, and all new electrical, heating and air conditioning, and sprinklers and fire protection systems have been installed throughout the hotel. At the same time, the new owners have preserved, to the maximum extent possible, the character of the monastery.

Be sure to visit the museum room on the third floor. This room has been maintained in its original size and configuration. The Carmelite Sisters have supplied authentic furniture and furnishings for this museum room. As many as five of the original cells have been put together to make one of the beautiful hotel guest rooms now available at The Abbey Hotel. (Note that the doors to the original cells have been preserved on the hallway side, to maintain the monastery appearance.)

Today, The Abbey provides luxury accommodations and specializes in wedding receptions, banquets, business meetings, reunions and parties of all kinds. Since becoming a hotel, The Abbey has earned a Four-Diamond Award from AAA; this rating was achieved in September 1993 and has been maintained in every subsequent evaluation. In January 1994, the Regina Coeli Monastery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Abbey has been named one of the "54 Best Inns in America" by National Geographic Traveler magazine (April 1999), and Joseph Lemon, Jr. has been honored as one of America's "Top 75 Entrepreneurial Superstars" by Entrepreneur magazine (April 1997).

The Abbey has recently added its newest facility: Abbey Station, located in the historic, renovated Rock Island Lines Train Depot, in Rock Island, Illinois (3031 Fifth Avenue). With its 32' ceilings, Abbey Station is surely among the most elegant banquet facilities in the United States. Abbey Station is able to accommodate groups up to 270 people.

1401 Central Avenue, Bettendorf, Iowa, 52722 -- The Quad Cities, USA