Saint Vincent College

Saint Vincent College was founded in 1846 by Benedictine monks led by Boniface Wimmer, who became the first Archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey, now the largest Benedictine archabbey in the world.

Place is important to Benedictines, who profess vows of stability, or remaining within the same religious house for life; obedience to their Archabbot; and conversatio, or continual transformation, as they strive to draw closer to God.

One of the most striking features of our campus is Saint Vincent Basilica, which in its own beauty reflects the beauty and richness of our Catholic faith. The Basilica, completed in 1905 and renovated for Saint Vincent’s sesquicentennial in 1996, is also a place of community and honor, where our students receive honors during our annual Academic Convocations, where cellist Yo-Yo Ma gave a powerful recital when he received our first Fred Rogers Legacy Award, where thousands gathered to honor golf great and Latrobe native Arnold Palmer after his death on Sept. 25, 2016.

An expression of how the beautiful spaces touch the lives of our students is touchingly expressed at about the 3:30 mark by in this video of a speech by Michael Bartkowski, who won Saint Vincent’s highest student honor, our President’s Award, in 2012.

Beneath the Basilica is the Crypt, which was renovated in 2010, with striking stained-glass windows and numerous eclectic pieces of art.