[5] Father Jeremiah O'Connell purchased Caldwell farm and donated the land to the Benedictines, hoping the community would found a Catholic educational institution in the Carolinas.

[6] On April 21, 1876, Father Herman Wolfe, from Saint Vincent, arrived with two students to take possession of the property and begin classes.

In 1967 John Oetgen, college president and Benedictine priest, conferred an honorary degree on the Protestant evangelist Billy Graham, marking what was at the time seen as a bold ecumenical gesture.

Eight faculty members responded by filing complaints to the North Carolina Department of Insurance, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the National Women's Law Center.

[12] On November 11, 2011, Belmont Abbey College sued the federal government over a new regulation that requires employer health insurance plans to provide free coverage of contraceptives and sterilization, even if it may be contrary to their religious beliefs.

"[13] Maurus Hall is centrally located on campus and houses a student lounge, grill, and the Holy Grounds coffee shop.

Along Abbey Lane, towards the far end of the campus, are the Vincent Abbot Taylor Library and the William Gaston Science Hall.

St. Leo's Hall, built in the American Benedictine style, houses the Campus Book Store and Catholic Shop on the first floor.

Raphael Arthur Hall, constructed in 1967, offers students individual rooms and sits on the hill above Poellath, near Campus Police.

Drexel made significant donations to the completion of the structure, which served as North Carolina's first and only cathedral prior to the erection of the Diocese of Raleigh in 1924.

Following the Second Vatican Council, the interior of the Abbey Church was renovated in a modernist style in order to facilitate the liturgical reforms of the era.

In 1975, Belmont Abbey lost its territorial status and cathedral rank to the newly created Diocese of Charlotte.

In 1998 Pope John Paul II named the Abbey Church a minor basilica in recognition of the historic and aesthetic significance of the structure.

[14] In 1892 the sisters began a finishing school for girls that eventually became a four-year degree institution, Sacred Heart College.

The convent is located on a campus made up of various organizations including Catherine's House, Holy Angels, and Mercy Heritage Center, and archives.

Taught by professors from various fields, this course explains the theories of a liberal education and introduces students to the Rule of St. Benedict and the Catholic intellectual tradition.

In 1940, the Belmont Abbey and Sacred Heart Glee Clubs toured the Carolinas and Georgia, appearing in Columbia, Charleston, Augusta, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Wilmington.