Palantir CEO Alex Karp Pays Record $120 Million for 3,700-Acre Colorado Monastery That Was Home to Trappist Monks for 68 Years

Palantir CEO Alex Karp has reportedly paid out a record sum of $120 million to take ownership of a Colorado monastery that has, for the last seven decades, been carefully tended to by a group of Trappist monks.

The Snowmass, CO, property, which is known as St. Benedict's Monastery, was put on the market by its former stewards for $150 million in July 2024—meaning that Karp, 58, secured a $30 million discount on the extraordinary compound.

Still, the sale marks a record for Colorado's Pitkin County, according to listing agent Ken Mirr of Mirr Ranch Group, who told the Wall Street Journal that the deal is the area's most expensive residential property purchase to date.

Mirr declined to comment on the identity of the buyer but did confirm that the person plans to use the former monastery as a home. Karp's primary residence is located in New Hampshire, where he owns a rustic 500-acre estate, part of which he purchased for just $825,000 in 2019, according to records.

He is, however, reported to own an estimated 20 properties around the world, many of which are located in top skiing locales, including Aspen, Vermont, and Norway.

Located "just outside Aspen," his latest purchase is the perfect property for a ski enthusiast like Karp, who told Axios in 2023 that his fitness regimen included daily five-hour cross country ski training sessions, part of a routine that had helped him to decrease his body fat to just 7%.

The tech tycoon will have ample opportunity to engage in all manner of outdoor activities at his new abode, which is "situated in a private mountain valley" and is "surrounded by the lofty peaks of the Elk Mountain Range," according to its original listing.

"Known for its peace and privacy, the Trappist monks have lived and managed this idyllic ranch for over 68 years," the description added.

The property features three creeks that "meander through the ranch for over five miles," as well as irrigated meadows and "historic water rights irrigating 1,200 acres."

"Exquisite and tranquil lands perfect for hiking, horseback riding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and more," the listing crowed.

As well as offering thousands of acres of "picturesque" land, the property also comes complete with an abundance of wildlife and cattle, who freely roam the ranch land—something they have done since "the monks first arrived," the listing revealed.

As far as dwellings go, the property features what the listing described as a "main headquarters," where the monastery and "retreat center" are located, as well as two mesas, one of which sits to the west of the headquarters, while the other, which "towers over the entire property" is located south of the primary residence.

The monastery, which was built in the 1950s, spans around 24,000 square feet, while the "retreat center" was added to the property in 1995, according to Mirr, who revealed that only five monks were still living on the ranch when it was sold for its sky-high price.

While nine-figure properties are not unheard of in Colorado—where there are currently two properties on the market with an asking price of more than $100 million—Mirr added to the Wall Street Journal that the monastery was particularly unique, largely because it was not built as a residence.

In other words, it is not "your typical sale of a property in Aspen with a 20,000-square-foot home on it."

Still, Snowmass has seen a surge in interest from wealthy buyers in recent years, with Realtor.com® data indicating that the median listing price in the area as of September was $10 million—up 67.8% year-over-year.

Mirr added that the property attracted interest from several buyers, who were largely drawn in by the incredible location and unparalleled land offering, revealing: "It’s extraordinary to find 3,700 acres in that area that has been relatively untouched."

To that end, the listing agent explained that he focused his efforts on finding a buyer who wanted to enjoy the property for what it is and not for its development potential, noting that Pitkin County has very specific land-use restrictions that would prevent any major construction on the ranch.

According to the St. Benedict's Monastery website, the monks also operated a bookstore on the property, which was previously open to the public, although it's understood that will no longer be the case now that Karp has closed on his purchase of the land.

The monks previously housed at the ranch noted online that they are still looking for a new property at which to take up residence, stating: "We continue discerning with our Order where to live our Cistercian monastic life, keeping you informed as this process unfolds."

St. Benedict's Monastery was originally founded in 1956, when a group of four monks arrived from Massachusetts to set up their new Order on the property, before being joined by nine additional confreres.

"For the first two years, the monastery worked out of a brick ranch house, where they lived monastic life while also ranching their 3,000 acres and adjusting to the altitude of nearly 8,000 feet," the monastery website states.

Trappist monks, who are officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, live a life of "prayer, silence, study, and manual labor," that involves "rising before dawn to begin the day with liturgical prayer and returning to church periodically during the day for further prayer together."

It is unclear whether Karp has plans to make any changes to the monastery or retreat center—and he has yet to comment on the reports of his property purchase.

The Palantir CEO is currently the 142nd richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of $18.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Much of Karp's wealth has come from his work with Palantir, a software company that was originally founded by Karp and Peter Thiel, along with Stephen Cohen, Joe Lonsdale, and Nathan Gettings, in 2003 and now focuses on data analytics and "advanced defense software solutions" that are currently used by military forces around the world, including in the U.S.

In an interview with Wired in November, Karp, who has served as CEO since 2004, summed up the company's offerings, stating that any company doing "anything that involves operational intelligence" required a product like the one they provide.

"If you’re an intelligence agency, you’re using us to find terrorists and organized criminals while maintaining the security and data protection of your country," he said.

"Then you have the special forces. How do you know where your troops are? How do you get in and out of the battlefield as safely as possible, avoiding mines, avoiding enemies? Then there’s Palantir on the commercial side.

"The shorthand is if you’re doing anything that involves operational intelligence, whether it’s analytics or AI, you’re going to have to find something like our products."