Camaldolese monks and nuns: a numerical overview
June 19, 2026
Over 300 monks and nuns belong to three institutes that look upon St. Romuald as their spiritual father.
The saint’s memorial is celebrated today. According to the Annuario Pontificio:
- The Camaldolese Congregation of the Order of Saint Benedict (O.S.B. Cam.), founded in 980, has 14 houses and 98 members, 54 of whom are priests.
- The Congregation of the Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona (E.C.M.C.) has 10 houses and 53 members, 28 of whom are priests. The Annuario dates the congregation’s founding to 1025 and its approval to 1523.
- There are 157 Camaldolese Benedictine nuns who live in 14 houses.
Membership figures, which include novices, were current as of 2024.
The Camaldolese Congregation of the Order of Saint Benedict, whose motherhouse is in Camaldoli, Italy, has one house in the United States: New Camaldoli Hermitage in the Diocese of Monterey, California. It has seven priests and three brothers, according to The Official Catholic Directory (2025 edition).
The Congregation of the Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona, whose motherhouse is the Sacro Eremo Tuscolano in Italy, has one house in the United States: Holy Family Hermitage in the Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio. It has two priests and two brothers, according to the Directory.
In 1907, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were 240 Camaldolese monks in three congregations with a combined 19 houses; 130 of them were Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona. There were also 150 nuns in five houses, all of them in Italy.
The number of Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona rose slightly to 136 in 1963 before declining to 55 in 2010. Membership has remained roughly steady since then.
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