When some University of Notre Dame students look out the window during class, they'll see the rolling green hills of Ireland, as part of a new partnership between the university and an abbey in western Ireland.
The university has teamed up with the Benedictine community at the historic Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, Ireland to create a center at the abbey that the university says will advance shared "spiritual, cultural and educational missions."
The Benedictine nuns purchased the Kylemore castle, which was later converted to an abbey, and surrounding lands in 1920. Some of that land has since been sold, but the nuns still reside at and care for the abbey, welcoming thousands of visitors each year.
The university's center will be housed in a former boarding school that closed in 2010, TheJournal.ie reports.
As part of the partnership, Notre Dame plans to offer a variety of programs and courses beginning in 2016.