When it comes to scenic sanctuaries, it’s hard to top a Rocky Mountain monastery. That was one of the many appealing qualities of St. Benedict’s Monastery in Pitkin County, Colorado.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Palantir CEO Alex Karp purchased the property for $120 million on December 15. At 3,739 acres, the tract is the largest remaining intact holding in Pitkin County. The property was listed with Ken Mirr and Haley Mirr at Mirr Ranch Group and Michael Latousek at Douglas Elliman Aspen.

“It’s been a long time since something of this size has been sold by a private individual in that area,” Ken Mirr told The Land Report. “It’s amazing to still find that many acres there that have been relatively untouched.”

Located approximately 30 minutes from downtown Aspen, the property last traded hands in the mid-1950s when it was purchased by Trappist monks, a Roman Catholic order focused on prayer, manual labor, and silence.

The monastery’s website indicates that the monks supported themselves by raising cattle, chickens, and eggs for area restaurants. In recent years, Mirr said the monks leased part of the land to a local rancher.

Despite its proximity to the bustling ski towns of Aspen and Snowmass Village, Mirr said St. Benedict’s is located in a secluded area, along a road that ends shortly beyond the monastery at the entrance to the White River National Forest and the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness.

“There isn’t much development up there at all,” Mirr said. “Because the monks kept their land preserved, most of the surrounding landowners started putting their ranches into conservation easements. So you don’t see any big condos or things like that around there.

“It’s very aesthetically pleasing, with irrigated fields and lots of horses and cows and hay. And with all the mountains surrounding you, there aren’t a lot of lights, so you get these amazing dark skies at night,” Mirr said.

The property includes the 24,000-square-foot main monastery building, a 6,000-square-foot retreat center, and a few houses and cabins that date from the early 1900s. According to the WSJ article, Karp plans to use the property as a home. Mirr said that given the land-use restrictions in Pitkin County, he intentionally did not talk to many developers about St. Benedict’s.

“We were truly looking for someone who appreciates it for what it is instead of wanting to put 30 houses on it,” Mirr said. “It’s just one of those really pleasing places that looks a lot like it did 70 years ago.”