The late Monsignor John Hawes was an interesting guy. An architect who became a priest. Those skills brought him to the Bahamas the first time to help fix four Anglican churches damaged by the 1908 hurricane season. (The 1908 season is unique; it remains the only season to have two hurricanes before June). He goes on to do a bunch of work all over the world, namely Australia, but early in his 60s, returns to the Bahamas, and settles here to build his last. Known locally as Father Jerome, he first builds four churches on Cat and one on Long Island before spying and buying eight acres on the top of Como Hill. It’s 1940, so after renaming it Mt. Alvernia, he hand-builds his little hermitage and chapel to live his life as a hermit. Think very tiny house, as his “bedroom” was 6-feet square and the “kitchen” 5-feet square, all lovingly built with local stone and mortar. Amazing. But, 206 feet above sea level (which is where we live), so up we go!
We’d been forewarned that it is an uphill climb through the Stations of the Cross with a bit of scrambling at the end.
Truthfully, only one of us had to “scramble.” The other one has stronger legs…
Although it’s impressive, it isn’t nearly as large as it appears from below.
The tiny bedroom is on the right hand side, with the small kitchen in the center near the chapel, and a bell tower on the left.
Todd shimmied into and up the little tower, hoping to ring the bell. Alas, just a couple of low-volume clanks on an old rusty bell.
You can’t really see it for the trees, but the boat is way down there near the telephone tower in the center of the picture. Now that we’ve explored, signed the guest book, and paid our respects, you know what this means, right? Yep, we have to get down the hill to the meandering road for the walk back.
Fortunately, there’s an easier option – a craggy “road” down the other side of the hill. No more Susie-goat scramble!
Naturally, we worked up an appetite. The kind ladies at The Bluebird Restaurant took care of it with a tasty meal. Splendid way to end a hike!
Our Travels 
Hey that looks like a nifty place to explore. And it looks like you had it to yourselves too. Nice.
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It is a fascinating place, especially to think he built it himself and lived there for the remainder of his life up on that hill. There was another group leaving as we arrived, which is good because it is indeed small. There wasn’t even enough room for the two of us to pass each other in the narrow hallways. There is a nice, accurately positioned sundial not too far from the house and a stone out-building of some sort a bit down the hill. We thought perhaps it was originally an outhouse due to the positioning, but there’s a stone oven attached to it, so no clue to the original purpose. 2nd kitchen?
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