How the architect behind Minnesota’s St. John’s Abbey Church inspired “The Brutalist”

Just off Interstate 94 in Collegeville, Minnesota, is a striking architectural wonder that was brought to life by renowned architect Marcel Breuer: Saint John’s Abbey Church at Saint John’s University.

“He was from Hungary, originally studied at the Bauhaus in Germany in the 1920s and 30s, and then when Hitler took over the Bauhaus, he moved to London,” said abbey monk Brother Alan Reed. “Eventually, he moved to the United States.”

The Oscar-winning film “The Brutalist” — a fictional story about a Holocaust survivor and immigrant architect — was inspired by the abbey’s church, thanks to a book written by a monk who worked with Breuer.

“The link is that the director of the film had read a small book when he was thinking about this project,” Reed said.

In that book were that monk’s memories from minutes he kept of meetings with the architect. 

Built between 1958 and 1961, the church was part of a larger vision for the growing monastery that Reed has ensured stays true for nearly 60 years.

“It was conceived after the Second World War, so both the university and the abbey grew quite, quite a bit in those years,” he said. “Finally, it was decided we need an architect to help us plan that.”

The film is loosely based on Breuer, although unlike in the movie, he was never in Germany during the Holocaust and was not practicing Judaism at the time.

For monks like Reed, having the Hollywood spotlight shine on his Midwestern college is exciting.

“I would love it if it helps people to appreciate that this is a sacred space,” Reed said.