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Alex Karp, the CEO of Palantir Technologies and America’s richest Black billionaire, has paid about $120 million to buy a former Trappist monastery in Colorado, a sale that sets a price record for residential property in Pitkin County.
The Snowmass property, known as St. Benedict’s Monastery, had been listed for $150 million when it went on the market in July 2024. The deal closed below that figure, according to people familiar with the transaction. Karp, 58, did not comment on the purchase.
A record-setting sale in Snowmass
Listing agent Ken Mirr of Mirr Ranch Group confirmed that the sale is the most expensive home purchase ever recorded in the county. Mirr declined to identify the buyer but said the property will be used as a private residence, not redeveloped.
Karp’s primary home is in New Hampshire, where records show he owns a large rural estate. He is also reported to own multiple properties in ski destinations, including Aspen, Vermont and Norway.
A monastery turned private retreat
The property sits just outside Aspen, tucked into a secluded mountain valley surrounded by the Elk Mountains. It spans roughly 3,700 acres and includes creeks, irrigated meadows and long-held water rights. Wildlife and cattle roam the land, a feature that dates back to the monks’ arrival decades ago.
At the center of the property is a 24,000-square-foot monastery built in the 1950s, along with a retreat center added in the mid-1990s. Only five monks were still living there when the sale closed, Mirr said.
Unlike many luxury listings in the area, the site was never designed as a private home. Strict land-use rules in Pitkin County also limit large-scale development, making the property more about preservation than expansion.
The monks’ next chapter
St. Benedict’s Monastery was founded in 1956, when a small group of monks moved from Massachusetts to establish a Trappist community in Colorado. They lived a quiet life centered on prayer, work and study, rising before dawn and returning to church throughout the day.
In a statement on the monastery’s website, the monks said they are still seeking a new place to continue their religious life and will share updates as plans take shape. A small bookstore once operated on the property but is expected to close.
Karp and Palantir
Karp ranks among the world’s wealthiest executives, with an estimated net worth of $17.3 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He co-founded Palantir in 2003 and has led the data analytics company since its early years.
Palantir’s software is used by governments and companies for intelligence, security and large-scale data analysis. The company recently renewed a multiyear intelligence contract with France’s domestic security agency, extending its work in national security.
