Mount of Oaks - Monte dos Carvalhos

Logo of the Global Ecovillage Network with interconnected leaf and flower design.
  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Forming
  • English
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 2006

What we do

We are here since 2006, faces have changed over the years, but the same spirit. The land was purchased with donations, a miracle, and a long story, and is under the guardianship of a small Association of friends, so there is no private ownership. Residents are guardians.
The main goal of the project is to create a safe space for people to engage with themselves at a deep level in the tranquillity of a natural ecosystem in the countryside. We seek to offer a space that encourages connection with nature and simple living with other humans, based on mutual respect and openness of heart.
Our locally sourced food is nutritious to both the body and the soul. When you visit you will observe the simple daily rhythms of work, rest, prayer, cooking and cleaning – the basics of living. Beyond that there are many activities that happen here: natural building, gardening, fermenting food, hosting, etc…
Prayer and Education have been the central pillars of this place, as we feel we are constantly learning and teaching by welcoming volunteers and short term residents who want to learn practical life skills, by organising retreats, workshops, and courses in many different areas of personal development and sustainable living, or by our involvement and participation in the local community, working together with the local council and the “new locals” who are coming from all over the world to settle in this rural area.
If you wondered why we use the word “Monastic” in our description is because we envision this place to be similar to what ancient monasteries once were. While not affiliated to any particular religion or spirituality, as We believe in Love as a Universal Force. We believe there is a need for places such as those ancient “Light Centers”, where sustainable farming was developed, natural medicine was practiced, education was offered, and spirituality was practiced amongst daily life shores, in tune with Nature and it’s rhythms and in support of the local community.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Languages
  • English
  • French
  • Portuguese (Portugal)
  • Spanish
  • Community type
  • Intentional Neighborhoods
  • Spiritual Retreat Centers
  • Activities
  • Permaculture
  • Education

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2006
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2026
  • Started living together
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
2

How to join

First of all, if you would like to consider living here as a “Land Guardian” you should feel “a call” for this commitment. Start by enrolling in one of our 10 week internships, and if we are all in sync, staying for a minimum of one full year and experience all the different seasons and rhythms we have, with “check-ins” every month to evaluate our needs and expectations.
This will require a monthly contribution to participate in the general expenses and for the development of the project. We believe that, like us, if you are called to be a guardian, God will provide for all your needs.
We expect that you will have a PDC (permaculture design course) or similar training in sustainable design, principles, and values, regenerative agriculture, GEN training, etc. Also, we expect at least 2 years of practice and experience in that training as well as community living.
We consider Non-violent communication to be a valuable tool too, and we expect any resident to be respectful of any spiritual practice, whether affiliated to any religion or not.
As you may already be aware, we are an off-grid farm, and for our income generation for sustainability, we develop different projects. From running courses, hosting guests, selling our products and offering our services, as long as they share our values and fit our rhythms. We will request skills in any of these areas, as well as administration skills, to develop or take responsibility for one or more projects that bring income to the community.
We have built our own personal accommodation, so at the start, a new guardian will have to have their own mobile home (caravan, mobile home, tent, etc).
We believe each step contributes to our growth, so we take one challenge at a time and we trust the process :-)
We invite participation and we believe each member contributes uniquely with their gifts and skills and will shape the community as he/she gets more involved in its development and embraces more responsibilities.

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Our Members

Barbara Leite

Mount of Oaks Permaculture Monastic Farm
Portugal

Mount of Oaks - Monte dos Carvalhos

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A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

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An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

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