1876 Benedictine monks from Saint Vincent Abbey (Pennsylvania) take possession of the former Caldwell farm, and open St. Mary’s College
1878 The first commencement exercises are held at the College
1884 The Dramatics Society is formed, and produces its first play in the spring semester. In December, the Holy See raises the monastery to rank of an abbey.
1886 Saint Mary’s College is chartered by the State of North Carolina. A philosophical course of studies is initiated for seminarians, a program which soon expands into a full theological sequence. A graduate program is created in the College, offering Master’s level studies.
1890 The Seminary starts receiving priesthood candidates from dioceses.
1891 The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes is constructed and blessed as a Pilgrimage Shrine.
1892 Construction begins on the Abbey Church of Mary help. The Sisters of Mercy are welcomed to Belmont.
1895 The Holy See invests the campus with the privilege of celebrating the feasts of Saint Walrus and Our Lady of Lourdes with special liturgical honors.
1900 Two-thirds of the College Building is destroyed by fire. Reconstruction begins immediately, and school opens on schedule in the autumn.
1904 Saint Katherine Drexel, S.B.S., visits the Belmont Abbey. She has been a generous donor to the construction of the Abbey Basilica.
1910 Belmont is created a nullius ‘diocese’ by Pope Saint Plus X, giving the Abbey Church cathedral rank.
1913 The name of the college is changed from “St. Mary’s” to “Belmont Abbey College.” The first alumni reunion is held at Belmont.
1928 Belmont Abbey College is reorganized as a junior-college, suspending all Bachelor’s and Master’s programs.
1930 The College begins its affiliation with the Catholic University of America.
1933 Enrollment in the Seminary is restricted to Benedictines.
1936 The College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
1937 The philosophy program for seminarians is suspended.
1939 The Monastery and College libraries are united and housed in common.
1952 The College is returned to senior-college status, offering bachelor’s degrees. The philosophy program for seminarians is restored.
1956 The preparatory-school is terminated. The College’s governance system is changed, making the major superior of the Monastery the chancellor of the College, and translating the office of rector into the presidency of the College.
1957 The College is accredited as a senior college by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
1962 Belmont’s Abbot Walter Coggin begins his service as a Father at the Second Vatican Council.
1965 Consecration of the newly renovated Abbey Cathedral of Maryhelp takes place in March with Abbot Walter officiating.
1969 A monograph by Father Anselm Biggs on Benedictine Life is published.
1973 Female students are permitted to reside on campus. The Abbey Cathedral is placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Father David Kessinger, O.S.B. becomes the first trained archivist appointed to care for the Abbey’s historical records.
1976 The first lay members are admitted to the College’s Board of Trustees, The annual observation of Founder’s Day on April 21st is instituted in the Monastery.
1977 The nullius ‘diocese’ is suppressed on January 1st.
1983 The College Building, later known as the “Administration Building,” is renamed “Robert Lee Stowe Hall.”
1992 In a revival of graduate studies at Belmont Abbey College, the first students are enrolled for pursuit of a Master’s degree in education.
1993 The Belmont Abbey Historic District is created and entered upon the National Register of Historic Places.
1998 Abbey Church is raised to rank of a Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II. His Holiness granted this recognition in honor of the historical, architectural, spiritual, and pastoral significance of the building.
2008 The St. Joseph Adoration Chapel was completed and consecrated.
2011 Groundbreaking of a new Belmont Abbey Dining Hall and Room At The Inn, a college- based maternity and after care residential facility.
Blessing the Years to Come
http://belmontabbey.weebly.com/timeline.html