St. Meinrad Archabbey at 200 Hill Dr. Saint Meinrad Archabbey was founded in 1854 by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland. They came to southern Indiana at the request of a local priest who was seeking help to serve the pastoral needs of the growing German-speaking Catholic population and to prepare local men to be priests. Both of these missions remain part of Saint Meinrad's ministry to the Roman Catholic Church, as Saint Meinrad operates a graduate seminary and school of theology and has other monks in parish work, chaplaincies and diocesan assignments. The Benedictine community at Saint Meinrad consists of about 85 men who dedicate their lives to prayer and work.