The Center for Sacred Art's Gregorian Chant Retreats are held at St. Andrew's House, a retreat center owned by the Episcopalian Diocese of Olympia.
Nestled in the hills overlooking the south end of Hood Canal, St. Andrew's House, with its panoramic views of the water and the Olympic Mountains offers a serene and beautiful location for spiritual retreat and renewal.
The retreat center is completely under one roof, with a Great Room linking wings containing sleeping rooms, the kitchens, dining room, and an attached chapel. Originally built as a lodge in the late 1920s, the building was completely remodeled in 1999. The facilities are of the highest quality. 
Between the building's wings is a grassy courtyard, overlooked by retreatants' rooms. A statue of St. Francis of Assisi is a favorite focal point. Adjacent to the courtyard is a covered veranda with a huge fireplace--good for gatherings in any season.
The covered veranda offers an excellent vantage point from which to enjoy the retreat center's beautiful landscaping.
The parking areas, located above the retreat center, are accessed by a series of stairs passing through a variety of plantings. 
Ramps from the parking area offer an alternative route for the handicapped, luggage with wheels, and sore knees!
Each bed at St. Andrew's House offers a cheerful handmade quilt.
The Great Room with its numerous sofas and easy chairs attracts small group conversations and class sessions, as well as individuals' reading during quiet times. Oriental carpets and Native American blankets add warmth to the room's traditional log-cabin-style walls and hardwood floors. 
The Great Room's massive stone hearth is another feature inherited from the original 1928 Lodge building. Two oak staircases on either side of the Great Room lead to an overhanging balcony and the upper level sleeping quarters. Sometimes (as seen here) chant retreat teaching sessions are led in the Great Room.
The Sun Room, illuminated with skylights and adjacent to the chapel, overlooks more terraced gardens. As a place of transition into sacred space, it is marked with a icon, candle, and flowers.
The chapel features numerous windows overlooking the forest, and a large panoramic window onto Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains beyond. The chapel's tile floor provides excellent acoustics for chant. Here we see an early morning winter chant session about to begin. 
Retreat participants sing the hours of prayer together in the resonant and light-filled chapel.
The dining room, the site of delicious and healthy meals prepared by St. Andrew's staff, also takes advantage of the wonderful views with windows overlooking classic Northwest scenery. Sometimes retreat teaching sessions are held in the Dining Room, as seen here.
When on breaks, retreatants can explore the gardens, stroll on the beach, or relax on deck overlooking Hood Canal.
The front porch, also built in classic lodge style, is another popular location for study and relaxation.
Near the retreat center a hiking trail leads through restful woods.
Harmony Hill, the neighboring retreat center immediately adjoining St. Andrew's House, has made its three labyrinths available to our retreatants in the past. Here we see two meditators at the center of the Flower Labyrinth, in late July.
From Harmony Hill's Flower Labyrinth the view towards the southernmost part of Hood Canal is exquisite.